Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living
by Cold Canary
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Legends of Tomorrow. Rating changed for chapter 4 and on. Other Couples: Barry/Caitlin, Carter/Kendra, Felicity/Ray, Roy/Thea, Laurel/Oliver.
1. Chapter 1: The Truth Will Out

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 1: The Truth Will Out

 **Summary:** Leonard Snart and Sara Lance are two people who swore that they would never love anyone else again. Especially with what they do on a daily basis. But what happens when the man that they are trying to stop takes the two of the hostage and tries to pit them against each other? Who would win? The Crook or The Assassin? Or would love prevail?

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Legends of Tomorrow.

The fight was not a good one. In fact, it was nowhere close to being a good one. Not only had they blown their chance at stopping Savage in this time, but two of their own had been taken hostage by his men after both had been hit with tranquilizers. Of course, Rip had the fleeting thought to leave Sara and Leonard behind and just continue on his way with Ray, Jefferson, Stein, Mick and Kendra, but if he had thought of voicing the thought, he knew he would immediately be shut down. He had pulled them all together to be a team, and with that blasted code that Snart and Rory had come to live by, the rest of the team had quickly come to live by it too. There was no way in hell that the Waverider was leaving this time. Not without all of its inhabitants aboard. So instead Rip had asked Gideon to locate the missing two members and to run a simulation of how to get them back. The outlook was far from favorable.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Sara opened her eyes and tried to sit up but let out a groan at how sore her muscles were. What kind of training had Rip put them through that would cause this much pain to a trained member of the League of Assassins? But as she stood up, and promptly sat back down at the amount of spinning her head was doing, Sara started to get concerned. There was no way that what she was feeling had been inflicted, in any way, by Rip. As much of an agenda as he had, there was no way he would push anyone on the team to the point of dizziness and heavier-feeling-than-usual limbs. No, this was someone else's doing. And there was really only one person who Sara could fathom doing something this extreme, and that was Savage.

As she came to this realization, Sara's head had stopped spinning and she was able to slowly take in her surroundings. She wasn't on the Waverider. She was in a cell. A cell that was only big enough for one thing: hearing the echoing cries of any other captives. Placing her hands slowly on the bars of her cell door, Sara jumped back. Whatever kind of place this was; Savage was making sure that any captives wouldn't attempt to escape... at least not after a few shocks from the electricity coursing through the metal bars. Turning away from the cell door, Sara let out a sigh. Surely her team knew by now that she was missing. Surely they would be looking for her. Surely they would be able to rescue her.

It was only as she heard the heavy footfalls echoing down the corridor that seemed to be coming closer that Sara started to realize that she had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She had no idea if anyone else on her team had been taken by Savage's men, or if it had just been her. She had no way of judging how long she should hope for a rescue team to be beating up the bad guys so that they could get her out of this place. She had no idea just what tortures Savage conducted here on his captives. She didn't even know if Savage himself was here. But as the footfalls came to a stop outside of her cell, she got her answer.

"Hello again my dear Canary." Savage sneered as one of the guards turned the electricity off of the bars and slid the door open only to step inside and firmly grab her upper arm. "It's time that we have a little talk."

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Leonard knew the second that he opened his eyes that something was off. The bed, if you could call it that, he was laying on was hard as a rock. His Cold Gun was not to the side of the bed and within reach. The clothes that he had been wearing had been replaced with prison garb. And there was the buzz of a small surge electric current humming by the cell door. His first thought after taking all of this in was not of the team, or even of himself. It was of his beautiful White Canary. Leonard couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he had started to refer to her, in his mind, as his, but that was beside the point. He had seen Sara go down and had been racing to her side when he himself had been hit. If they were both being held captive by Savage's men, then Leonard knew that things were not going to end well.

It would only be a matter of time before Savage was able to figure out how much he cared for Sara, and would use that against him, but he hoped that his Canary would be able to hold out long enough for Savage to not figure out how much she cared for him. Because if Savage knew how much the two cared for each other, then he would definitely torture both of them until he got the information that he wanted. But on second thought, maybe if Savage found out how Sara felt about himself before the immortal found out how he felt about her, then Savage would just torture Leonard, and wouldn't hurt Sara. That had to be the better option between the two, right? Hope that Savage found out how much Sara cared so that Leonard would get the torture, leaving Sara safe from harm?

That's when Leonard heard a voice. A voice that he was starting to be able to distinguish in a crowd, one that told him his Canary was close by. "Hello again my dear Canary. It's time that we have a little talk." That did not sound good. Leonard had to do something. He couldn't let them hurt Sara. No one on the team would forgive him if he could bargain for Sara's life and didn't do it. Leonard was sure that if the team had to choose between leaving him to die, and leaving Sara to die, they would choose to leave him. Everyone on the team knew that Sara had already been brought back once, and that she was not a fan of the after effects.

"Savage!" Leonard said suddenly as he stood and walked towards his cell door.

"Ah, I see that our other friend is awake as well. Gentlemen, if you would, please bring Captain Cold along. He might enjoy the conversation." Savage said motioned for the guards to open Leonard's cell as well. "I must say you have wonderful taste in woman Mr. Cold. Extra feisty with a helping of danger and mystery. Not exactly my preference, but I could always go for a change." He mused on as he ran his fingers through some strands of Sara's hair.

"Lay another finger on her and I'll end you." Leonard snarled.

"Snart, stop it!" Sara exclaimed.

"Oh, oh, a lover's quarrel. How delightful." Savage said with a smirk as he turned away from both of them, motioned for one guard to lead Sara and one to lead Leonard, and then walked away.

"Are you alright?" Leonard asked in a low voice so that only Sara could hear him.

"I would have been better had you not just threatened him on my behalf. It's nice that you care so much about me Leonard, but really, you might have just made the whole situation worse for both of us." Sara muttered back.

"Time will tell." Leonard commented.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Ray was pacing back and forth as Gideon ran the scan of the city to try and find Sara and Snart. Sure he didn't care about Sara in the way that Snart clearly did, or the way that Oliver used to, or in the way that Nyssa did, but she was still the only connection to home that he still had at the moment. Everyone one else on the team was more or less located out of Central City, he and Sara were the only two that were located out of Star City. At least, 2016's Star City. Rip didn't count as being from Star City. From where the whole team stood, Rip wasn't even a thought to anyone that they knew. He wasn't going to be around for another 130+ years in their timeline, and his family wouldn't be killed until a century and a half after their time. So yeah, Rip was from Star City, but he wasn't from Ray and Sara's home.

With all the pacing that he was doing, Ray was starting to, in the back of his mind, fear that he would eventually ware a hole in the floor of the ship. Seriously, what was taking Gideon so long to find Sara and Snart? It wasn't like the city that they were currently in was all that big, maybe 7x7 sq miles, but it seemed like the AI was taking a considerably longer amount of time than it would to scan a city like New York. With a sigh, Ray stopped pacing and turned towards the table. His own eyes scanned over the map of the city, willing himself to see an anomaly that Gideon had missed. They needed to save their teammates. And there was no way that anyone on the team was going to allow Rip to buckle up in his Captain's seat until Sara and Snart were back.

"Gideon, what's taking so long? We should have already located them by now." Ray questioned impatiently.

"I apologize for the delay Mr. Palmer, but I am having difficulties with locating Ms. Lance and Mr. Snart. I fear that they might no longer be in the city." Gideon said and Ray's heart fell.

Not in the city? How could Savage and his men get Sara and Snart out of the city without any of them realizing it? How had Savage managed to get close enough to Sara and Snart while the whole team had been out in the field fighting, without anyone else on the team realizing it, and get to them. Apart from himself and Professor Stein, Sara and Snart were two of the smartest members on the team... at least street smart. There was no way that they wouldn't have noticed Savage or his men coming towards them, even if they had been fighting at the time.

"What was the last location you had them?" Ray asked.

"Don't answer that request Gideon." Rip snapped quickly.

"You don't get a say in this. Sara and Snart are MIA, and you are just sitting back and doing nothing to try and save them. We are ALL a team, you included. Start acting like it Rip. Gideon, Sara and Snart's last known location." Ray repeated as he stared Rip down.

"My intel shows that Ms. Lance and Mr. Snart were last seen in the field, when the team was fighting. There has been no sight of them since." Gideon replied.

"Thank you Gideon." Ray said as he turned towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rip asked placing a hand on Ray's chest to push him back.

"I'm doing that you should be doing. I'm going to find Sara and Snart and I'm going to bring them back." Ray said while sidestepping around Rip and heading out.

"Ray, wait up."

"Look, Kendra, I'm sorry, but I need to go find them. Sara is the only person that I have from home." Ray said as he glanced over his shoulder at the reincarnated deity.

"I'm not going to stop you. I'm going with you. We all are." Kendra said while motioning behind her to the rest of the team.

"Rip won't be thrilled that we're all going." Ray commented.

"Screw Rip. He has his own agenda, and sooner or later it will bite him in the ass. We are a team; we save our own... when we can." Jax said with a quick side glance at Kendra.

"Let's go then." Ray said with a small nod.

"Where exactly are we going to start looking for them?" Mick asked.

"The last place that Gideon has a record of them being. The last place any of us saw either of them. At the scene of the fight." Ray said with a sullen expression.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Leonard was mentally kicking himself. Sara had been right. By threatening Savage, he had screwed them both over. He had betrayed himself by even speaking in the first place when Savage had touched Sara. If he had just kept his mouth shut, then maybe he would be the one being beaten, not Sara. Maybe it would be her screams for Savage to stop and not his own. Maybe it would be his blood that was pooling on the floor and not hers. Maybe he would be the one that was being tortured to death and not her. He had wanted to protect Sara, but instead, he had just put her into harm's way and might have even delivered her death sentence.

"ENOUGH! Just let her go!" Leonard shouted, his eyes trained on Sara's body.

"Why would I do that? You haven't told me what I want to know yet." Savage sneered as he hit Sara again.

"Please! I'll tell you everything that you want to know! Just leave her be!" Leonard shouted.

"Will you now?" Savage asked looking like his interest had been piqued.

"Yes!" Leonard said.

"Why, then have you and your team been following me?" Savage asked as he half turned away from Sara.

"Rip Hunter, you kill his family in the future. He wants you dead in the past, his past, or yours, however you want to look at it, so that you aren't around to kill his family in the future." Leonard said.

"Len... stop." Sara said weakly.

"I won't let him take another member of our team." Leonard snapped back but winced when he saw Sara recoil at his tone.

"What makes your group so special? Why did this Rip Hunter choose all of you?" Savage questioned.

"Because we had little to no effect to the timeline. He is using us as pawns to get his revenge on you." Leonard replied.

"Len, please, stop." Sara begged.

"No Canary, I'm not going to stop." Leonard said. He wasn't going to use her real name in fear of giving Savage more information about their team that he might not already have.

Leonard noticed Savage looking between himself and Sara as if trying to come to some kind of conclusion. Leonard then looked straight at Savage as he could see a conclusion come to fruition in the immortal's eyes. He steeled himself for the coming impact. He had figure it out. Leonard and Sara cared about- nay, loved- each other in a way that Savage had only seen in one other pair: Chey-Ara and Khufu. And the blow that came was exactly what Leonard expected. A gut wrenching stab to the abdomen before Savage left the room, his men following behind him, effectively leaving Leonard and Sara alone.

"Len... why would you do that?" Sara asked as she slowly made her way over to him.

"I couldn't let him hurt you anymore than he already had." Leonard said before coughing up blood.

"You're an idiot if you think seeing you stabbed in the stomach doesn't hurt me." Sara said in a small voice.

"Are you okay?" Leonard asked.

"I've been better." Sara replied looking deep into his eyes.

"Good, then I did the right thing." Leonard replied, his mouth filling with blood again before he coughed that up too and closed his eyes.

"No. Len, stay with me. Please. I can't lose you." Sara begged.

"You have to know... I did it because I couldn't lose the woman that I love." Leonard said, his voice strained.

"Don't talk like that Len. The team is coming. I just know it. Hold in there, please. I can't lose the man I love, please hold on until the team gets here." Sara begged, her eyes filling with tears.

"I love you Sara... My Canary." Leonard said softly before his head fell to the side.

"NO! LEONARD!" Sara screamed as she tried to shake him awake, her own injuries starting to take their toll as she leaned over him and sobbed.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The screams that the team heard as they entered the underground compound could only be described as heart wrenching. But it was a cry that they all recognized. No one had ever brought it up in fear of how she would react, but everyone on the team had been woken up at one point or another by Sara's screams when they were sleeping on the Waverider, so hearing her scream now only propelled the team forward. They were so close. So close to finding Sara and Snart. So close to getting their teammates back. So close that they didn't take into account how easy it was for them to get to their missing teammates. But the sight they came across when they came to the end a corridor of jail cells was more heart wrenching then the screams that alerted them to Sara and Snart's location.

Snart lay completely still in a pool of his own blood while Sara lay on top of him, barely moving herself. Her screams for Leonard to wake up had aggravated her injuries to the point where she was next to unconscious. Not wanting to hold on to hope if she was going to come through and the man she loved wasn't going to be there by her side. In her mostly unconscious state, Sara vaguely noticed as Ray lifted her off of Leonard's body while Mick lifted Leonard. No one said anything as the team rushed back out of the compound and back to the ship. Sara could faintly hear a voice calling Leonard's name, but it was so distant that she didn't realize that it was her own voice.

The last thing that Sara heard before drifting off into the darkness was 4 simple words. "I love you Leonard."


	2. Chapter 2: Surviving the Darkness

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 2: Surviving the Darkness

The words that Sara had spoken before she drifted completely into unconsciousness did not go unnoticed by anyone on the team. It was more of a surprise to most of them if anything. But it wasn't what was important. What was important was that the team had gotten both Sara and Leonard back to the ship in time that Gideon was able to instantly start working on their injuries. But as the AI continued to work, and the longer that it took, the team was getting anxious. Especially Ray and Mick. While Kendra, Jax and Stein had all retreated to their rooms, Ray and Mick had stayed in the med bay. Both of the men wanted to be there when their friends woke up, and they didn't care how long that took. Especially since Gideon refused Rip's request to get them into the Temporal Vortex.

Ray had been relieved that they had been able to find Sara and Leonard when they did, but at the same time, he feared that they were too late. That the injuries that they had sustained were too great for either of them to overcome. Strangely enough, while Sara had more injuries, it was Leonard that was on the brink of death. Ray wasn't sure why that was. If Sara loved Leonard, then why did she have more injuries? Why did Savage not torture Leonard? Why did Leonard have a solitary stab wound to his abdomen while Sara had cuts and bruises covering most of her body? Did Leonard's feelings for Sara go deeper than Ray had thought? Did Leonard love Sara as much as Sara loved Leonard? Had the thief said or done something to provoke Savage into torturing Sara? Ray couldn't fathom Leonard betraying himself by provoking Savage, not if it meant Sara would be in harm's way.

"Mick, do you know how Leonard feels for Sara?" Ray asked with a sigh, the silence finally getting to him.

"He loves her. I'm sure if he wasn't already unconscious when she said it to him that he would have said it back." Mick replied, eyes trained on his partner.

"Do you think that he could have done or said something to Savage that showed how deep his feelings for her went?" Ray asked.

"Len protects his own. If he was only thinking about Sara's safety, then he might have acted out in attempt to protect her, all the while putting her into more danger. He's smart, but he also has a one track mind when it comes to protecting the ones that he cares about." Mick explained, only taking a moment to glance at Ray.

After that, the two fell back into silence, it wasn't until Kendra poked her head into the room, some unknown amount of time later, that either of them moved again.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

 _Sara was screaming, but no sound was coming out. She could see Leonard, he was so close, but every time she reached for him, he slipped further and further away from her. Was he slipping away because he was really, truly dying? Or was it just her mind's way of telling her that she couldn't have him? Sara didn't know. She wanted so desperately to reach him, to hold his face in her hands while she told him how much she loved him, and to kiss him deeply, but her mind wouldn't let her. She was stuck in an endless chase. A twisted game of cat and mouse, one where the cat would never win, and the mouse would always be just out of reach. A silent sob tore from her throat as she tried to reach for Leonard one more time, only for him to disappear completely._

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

 _Leonard was in pain. Pain at seeing Sara being taken away from him. In pain that he would never get to tell her- really, truly tell her- that he loved her. He wanted to go to her, comfort her, tell her that everything was going to be okay, and that they were going to get through this, together, but he couldn't reach her. He couldn't even look straight at her without her disappearing. His mind was playing tricks on him. Making him see Sara, out of the corner of his eye, only to have her be gone when he turned to face her. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't make a sound, yet at the same time, if he tried to move towards her, she would disappear. Was his mind trying to tell him that he didn't deserve her? That what he wanted for them was never going to happen? That she would never be his? Leonard struggled with these questions. He hated not having the answer to something on a daily basis, but this? This was a new kind of mental torture. He loved Sara, and he knew she loved him, even if she hadn't fully said it yet, yet he was, his mind trying to tell him something, something that he couldn't figure out, and it had to do with Sara._

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Rip was pacing back and forth in front of his Captain's chair while he waited for Kendra to come back with Mick and Ray. Gideon refused to listen to his commands, but he had gotten word that Savage was hot on their tale. He had to tell the team that despite the extent of Sara and Leonard's injuries, they had no choice but to leave. The matching looks on Ray and Mick's faces when they came into the room behind Kendra told him that they weren't going to have it. But he needed them to understand that they had to leave. And he needed Ray to give them command to Gideon since she seemed to only listen to the billionaire now

"We are not leaving until Sara and Len pull through." Ray said immediately when he saw the look on Rip's face.

"Savage knows what we are up to and he is now coming after us. He won't just stop at killing Kendra; he will kill all of us." Rip said simply.

"No. We are only as strong as our weakest member, and at this given moment, our weakest members are both in comatose states. It might not be safe for us to stay, but it's even more unsafe if we leave. Sara and Len are not well enough to make the trip." Ray argued.

"Have you even been in there to see them since we got them back?" Kendra asked.

"I have more important things to worry about Ms. Saunders." Rip replied as he looked away.

"Are you being serious right now?" Jax questioned. "Our friends are both in a coma because of your stupid revenge plan, and you are just going to risk them getting worse to make sure that you stay alive so that you can avenge your family's deaths?" He continued. "No, I ain't going anywhere on this ship until they both wake up." He finished.

"Do any of realize the danger that we are all in if Savage finds this ship?" Rip asked looking from one person to the next. "He will kill us all if he finds us." He added.

"Are you even listening to yourself? We are in danger whether Savage finds the ship or not. And just where exactly did you get the information that Savage is now after us?" Stein asked.

"That's not important. What is important is that we get out of here as soon as possible." Rip said.

"We will not put our friends at further risk by entering the Temporal Vortex." Ray said firmly.

"The cloaking device is still intact, right Gideon?" Kendra asked.

"Yes Ms. Saunders, we are still cloaked." Gideon replied.

"See, Savage won't be able to find the ship any time soon." Kendra said Rip.

"How does Savage even know what our plan is?" Mick asked.

"The only way that I can think of for how he could have found out is if Leonard told him to stop him from hurting Sara any further." Stein replied.

"Do none of you see the danger in this? It doesn't matter how Savage found out, he knows why we're after him, and no he's after us too. The only plausible solution is to bring you all back to 2016 and live the rest of your lives as if the last few months never happened." Rip said with a sigh.

"After Carter died, you said you didn't want any more blood on your hands. If we make any kind of time jump, you would be putting both Sara and Leonard at risk of dying, and if they do, their deaths would be on you as well. And do you really think that after the last few months, any of us could just act like nothing has changed? Like we aren't different people now? How do you suggest Kendra lives the rest of this life knowing that Carter wouldn't be coming back as Carter? How do you suggest Mick goes on without Len around? How do you suggest I tell Sara's father and sister that she's gone, again? There is no way that any of us can go back to 2016 and act like everything is fine? We are staying put until Sara and Leonard are both awake and are well enough to time travel again. If, and only if, they think it is best that we go back to 2016 will we all go back." Ray said and everyone just looked between him and Rip to see what Rip was going to do next.

Rip did exactly what they all figured he would do. He left the bridge to go think things through.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Sara groaned as she tried to reposition herself. Her whole body was stiff- worse than it had been when she woke up in Savage's jail cell. Then the fear set in. What if after Savage and his men had walked out after stabbing Leonard that they had come back once Sara had passed out and had brought her back to the cell? What if Leonard really was dead and they had just dumped his body somewhere? What if this...? And what if that...? All of these different 'what if' scenarios were running through Sara's head and the fact that it hurt to move just rooted her fear even deeper. Slowly opening her eyes, Sara took in her surroundings before she even attempted to stand up, the memory of her dizziness the last time clear in her mind. It was bright, so it wasn't the cell. It was clean, so it definitely wasn't the building that Savage had tortured them in. It was bigger than the cell, so it had to be a safe place, right?

Slowly moving her head around, Sara took in more of the room. She sighed in relief when she realized that she was in the med bay on the Waverider. But the small wave of calmness that rushed over her was drowned out immediately by the big wave of dread when she noticed Leonard was laying in the bed next to her, hooked up to a lot of machines. ' _No! He can't be dead!'_ It was the only coherent thought that seemed to be running through Sara's head as she quickly sat up, ignoring her own pain and scrambled off of the bed so that she could easily grasp Leonard's hand in hers. She faintly felt a pulse at his wrist, and she could see the small movement of his chest rising and lowering, so she knew he was breathing. And he didn't have an oxygen mask attached to him, so he was breathing on his own, which was good.

Sara was so caught up in staring at Leonard, wanting to memorize every single one of his features that she had tuned out the world around her. It was just her and Leonard. She didn't even hear the beeping that was coming from one of the machines that she had been connected to, she didn't even realize that the rest of the team came rushing in to see what was happening. It was only when she felt a hand lightly land on her shoulder that she was shaken from her daze and looked around. It was if someone had turned the sound off, and when she was brought back to reality, the sound was turned up to full volume. If it wasn't for the fact that her friends were around her, and Leonard was still alive, Sara would have wanted it to all just go away.

"Sara, are you okay?" Ray asked softly.

"Do I look like I'm okay Ray?" She asked in return.

"You look like you've been to hell and back, many times over." Ray replied.

"There's your answer. I feel like I've been to hell and back, many times over." Sara commented.

"We got to you both just in time. And we aren't going anywhere until he makes it through." Ray said noticing that while Sara was responding to him, she hadn't taken her eyes of Leonard's face.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"Okay everyone, let's give them some space. Everything is fine." Ray commanded. "Call if you need anything." He added to Sara.

As the team filed out, Sara pulled a chair over next to Leonard's bed and sat down before taking his hand into hers again and lacing their fingers together. She wanted him to know that she was there for him. She wanted him to wake up so that she could tell him how she felt. Glancing around to make sure no one from the team was lingering- it would only be later on that she found out Ray had been watching the interaction from out in the hall- Sara leaned over and pressed her lips to Leonard's. She knew that he would respond to the kiss, at least not right away, but she needed to give him one kiss, before he wasn't around for her to give him any at all. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not when she felt the pressure of Leonard kissing back against her lips. Abruptly pulling away, Sara stared down into Leonard's bright blue eyes.

"You're alive." Sara breathed out, hoping that she hadn't fallen asleep in the short time that the team had left and she was just dreaming all of this.

"So are you." Leonard replied, his voice raspier than usual.

"Don't ever do that to me again." Sara said as tears filled her eyes.

"Which part? Try to protect and defend you, or almost die in your arms?" Leonard asked.

"Both. You wouldn't have had to protect me if you hadn't felt the need to defend me against Savage and then you wouldn't have almost died in my arms." Sara said as she brought their intertwined hands to her lips and pressed a kiss to Leonard's knuckles.

"I make no promises. We are involved in a very dangerous line of work. Even more so now that Savage knows Rip's plan." Leonard said solemnly.

"You really shouldn't have told him the truth." Sara said.

"I had no choice. He would have killed you if I hadn't, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I let you be killed at the hands of Savage." Leonard replied as he lifted his hand to her cheek.

"Len..." Sara started.

"I know Sara. I feel the same way." Leonard said softly as he pulled her down for a kiss.

"I need to tell you." Sara muttered against his lips.

"Later. We have time." Leonard replied.

"I hate to interrupt, but you are very much mistaken Mr. Snart." Rip said from the doorway.

"Do you mind Rip? We're in the middle of something here." Sara snapped.

"Oh, I can see that. Expressing your undying love to each other. But we really must be leaving this time period. Because of Mr. Snart's lapse in judgement of telling Savage what our plan is, Savage is now looking for us." Rip explained.

"Rip! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ray asked coming up to the captain.

"As you can see, both Ms. Lance and Mr. Snart are awake. We can leave now." Rip said, standing up straight and still only coming to just about Ray's shoulder.

"I said we aren't leaving until they are both awake AND are well enough to make the trip. They just woke up, so we aren't going anywhere." Ray said, his hands clenching into fists.

"Mr. Palmer, may I remind you that _I_ am the captain of this ship, and despite Gideon's allegiance to your authority, she is still under my command. I say that we are leaving, so we are leaving." Rip countered.

"You might be a Time Master, but you are disgraced Time Master. You stole this ship and snatched all of us out of time to use as pawns in your own personal vendetta. You are no leader, and until Gideon says that Sara and Leonard are fit to fly, we are staying put. If, and only if, at that point you've come to learn what being part of a team really means, I might consider the thought of giving your authority back to you, but until then, I'm in charge, and Gideon listens to me." Ray snapped. Sara had never seen him so riled up before.

Sara stared between Ray and Rip. This was a new side of Ray that she was seeing, and frankly, she wasn't surprised by it. She always felt like the playful side of him was covering up a more commanding presence, she just wasn't sure if she would be around to ever witness that presence coming through. But she was glad that she was. It was good to know as much about the people you worked closely with as possible.

"Boys, that's a great show of bravado, but Sara and I were in the middle of something, so can you two just scoot and skedaddle? Thanks." Leonard said, his usual sarcasm coming through despite the rasp of his voice.

"Of course. I hope you both feel better soon. Rip, shall we?" Ray said, indicating that Rip should go ahead of him.

"Thanks Raymond. Now, where were we?" Leonard asked looking up at Sara.

"I love you Leonard." Sara said as she squeezed his hand.

"I love you too Sara." Leonard replied, squeezing her hand back.


	3. Chapter 3: New Territory

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 3: New Territory

Leonard didn't know how to proceed with his new, whatever it was, with Sara. He loved her, sure, but he had never been in an actual relationship before, and the only other girl he had ever loved was his baby sister, Lisa, but that was in no way the same thing as the love he had for Sara. It had been two days since they had actually told each other how they felt, but that was also two days that they both had to stay in the med bay while Gideon assessed their injuries. It gave them time to talk, to really get to know each other, but it's not like Leonard could really ask Sara out on a date. They were confined to the ship for the time being, since Gideon said no field work, but the times that the rest of the team would eventually leave, it would end up being for an undeterminable amount of time, so even having a date on the Waverider seemed to be out of the question.

The only upside to the last two days was they when they weren't talking, Sara was curled up at Leonard's side, and they were simply laying in each other's arms, grateful that the other one was still alive. It had been a close call for both of them, but they had managed to make it through, and Leonard wanted to believe that they pulled through so that they could have a chance to be a 'them'. And if they weren't talking or snuggling, then they were kissing, and if Leonard was to be honest with himself, that was the best part of the last two days. Having Sara Lance, The Black-Turned-White Canary, in his arms, their lips moving against each other, just savoring the chance to be able to do this at all. It was during one of these mini-make out sessions that Gideon interrupted them.

"I apologize for interrupting, but I have assessed both of your injuries and you are welcome to leave the med bay. Although, please inform Mr. Palmer that I would advise waiting another day or two before travelling." Gideon said, to which the couple simply nodded.

Slowly getting up, Sara looked expectantly at Leonard, hoping that he would be able to understand what she was wanting to do, and where she was wanting to go. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out the way she wanted it to.

"Sorry Sweetheart, but I'm not a mind reader." Leonard said with a smirk.

"Would you like to go somewhere that's a little bit more private? Like my room or your room?" Sara asked.

"If you're looking for privacy, we aren't going to get it in either of our rooms. You share a room with Kendra, and I share one with Mick, remember?" Leonard reminded her.

"Technically, I don't share with Kendra, she used to share with Carter, but after he died, she found it hard to be in the room that she had shared with him. Plus, I saw her and Ray sneak off together yesterday, so I might be able to convince her to start rooming with him, if that's something that they would be willing to do, or if they aren't willing to do that, I can convince her to go back to her and Carter's room." Sara commented.

"I see, well, let's get moving. We've been confined to this room for two days. And more so, I've been confined to this bed for two days." Leonard said with a half attempted smirk.

"Do you need any help?" Sara asked, hoping for any kind of contact as they walked to her room.

"I should be able to manage." Leonard said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and steadily stood up.

Sara anxiously watched as Leonard tried to regain his footing after being bedridden for 2 days. She was itching to help him, but knew that it was best to let him at least try to make it on his own. However, he barely made it 3 steps before he leaned against the bed and looked over at her. Taking a tentative step forward, Sara snaked an arm around Leonard's waist, fully intending on letting him lean on her until they got to their destination. Instead, as soon as her arm was around him, Leonard was cupping her face with his hands and was pressing his lips to hers. Being a foot shorter than him, Sara lifted herself onto her toes and moved her arms to around his neck to get a better angle for the kiss. Once the need for air became a necessity, the couple pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes.

"I hope Gideon approved that kind of behavior." Mick said from the doorway, an ounce of humor lacing his words.

"We're well enough to leave the med bay, so we're well enough to make out with each other." Leonard retorted without looking over at his partner.

"I see that you've made it out of the med bay." Mick replied, humor completely filling his voice now.

"We are working on making our way out of the med bay, I just lost my balance." Leonard said with a sigh. His partner wasn't going to let him live this down.

"Mick, can you go let Ray know that Gideon has cleared us from the med bay, but to wait another day or two before travelling?" Sara asked.

"I could, but I won't. He's making out with Kendra, so I came to see how you two are doing, and you two are making out. There's only so much time I can spend with Stein and Jax before I feel like I'm going to explode." Mick said with a huff.

"Sorry Mick, but we have plans for privacy." Leonard commented.

"Aw come on Snart, you two have had the last 2 days to be together." Mick complained.

"Yes, we've been hulled up in a room that has no door and where our friends walk in once an hour, that definitely screams privacy." Leonard said with a roll of his eyes.

"Why don't we table our private time for later? You haven't been able to fiddle with your cold gun in the last few days, and Mick's right, you and I have been together the entire time. Go have some fun playing with your gun with Mick and I'll see you later, okay?" Sara suggested as she pressed a kiss to his cheek before slipping out of the room.

"Yeah, that sounds... wait a minute! CANARY, YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT COMMENT LATER!" Leonard called after her as her words registered with him.

"I'LL HOLD YOU TO THAT, COLD!" Sara called back.

 **LOT – LWLISLWL – LOT**

Ray and Kendra heard the playful yelling between Sara and Leonard and quickly broke apart when they heard footsteps coming towards them. Sure, they were adults and didn't have to hide their relationship from the rest of the team, but if they wanted any chance of having an actual relationship, one where the rest of the team wasn't talking about it before anything happened, they had to hold off on too much PDA when the others were around. It didn't surprise them when they saw that it was Sara that was rounding the corner, and not Leonard.

"Ray, Kendra, just who I was looking for. Kendra, I need to talk to you." Sara said with a bright smile as she took Kendra's wrist in her hand before looking up at Ray. "It's girl talk, so you don't mind if I borrow her, do you Ray?" She asked before starting to lead Kendra away. "Great, thanks!" She finished.

"Is everything okay between you and Leonard?" Kendra asked.

"Oh, yeah, everything is fine. But I need to talk to you about the rooming arrangement." Sara said as she pulled Kendra into "their" room.

"You want me out, don't you?" Kendra asked, not at all looking or sounding upset.

"Yes, please. Whether you start rooming with Ray, or if you feel comfortable going back to yours and Carter's room, I don't care, but Len and I could use a room on this ship where people aren't walking in on us multiple times a day." Sara explained.

"Sara, it's okay, I completely understand. I'll talk to Ray about us rooming together, but if he isn't ready for that just yet, then I will move back into mine and Carter's old room." Kendra said as she gave Sara a gentle hug so as to not cause her friend pain. "You know that I never intended on completely migrating into your room, right? It was only supposed to be for a few days or so." Kendra questioned.

"I know, I didn't mind. I never had to share a room with Laurel when we were growing up, so sharing a room with you was nice." Sara said with a half-smile.

"Was there anything else that you wanted to talk about?" Kendra asked curiously.

"How did Ray get Gideon to listen to him over Rip?" Sara asked slowly.

"I'm not sure, exactly. I think Gideon could tell that Ray really had saving you and Leonard from Savage as his main priority whereas Rip was willing to leave the two of you behind." Kendra said with a shrug.

"What?" Sara asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, as soon as Rip found out, somehow, that Savage knew about our plan and was coming after all of us, he freaked out and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Was even willing to risk yours and Leonard's health once we got you back onto the ship, just to get away from this time." Kendra explained.

"Oh, hell no. I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind." Sara seethed.

"Hey, hey, hey, there's no need for that. Ray won't let this ship leave until Gideon has okayed it, and Rip can't override whatever Ray did to get Gideon to change her allegiance." Kendra said as she placed her hands on Sara's shoulders.

"He could have killed Leonard." Sara tried to reason.

"I know, and he could have killed you too. Ray pointed out that if Rip didn't want anyone else's blood on his hands from this team, that he wouldn't try and take back control of the Waverider. He has gotten so far into his own vendetta about stopping Savage that he no longer seems to care if we all die in the process." Kendra said with a sigh.

"I can't lose him Kendra." Sara said in a small voice as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I know, Sara; I know." Kendra said soothingly as she pulled her friend into another hug and rubbed her back.

 **LOT – LWLISLWL – LOT**

It had been a few hours since Leonard and Ray had seen either of the girls. Now that Leonard was up and moving about, he wasn't losing his balance as much, but he made sure he was close to a wall at all times so that if he started to lose his balance, he would have something to lean against. So, with Ray by his side, and time stretching on from the last time he had seen his Canary, Leonard when in search of his girl. What neither him nor Ray expected to find was Sara and Kendra, both asleep on Sara's bed, with Sara curled up into a ball. Clearly something emotional had to have happened when Sara had pulled Kendra away from Ray, but neither guy was stupid enough to try and wake the two girls up to find out what had happened. Motioning for them to go somewhere else, Leonard sent one more glance in Sara's direction before turning away.

"Gideon said to wait a couple days before travelling." Leonard commented as he and Ray reached the kitchen.

"Of course. You know, I'm glad that you pulled through. I don't know how things would have gone if Sara had pulled through and you hadn't." Ray said.

"I don't know what I would have done if it had been the other way around. If I had pulled through and Sara hadn't." Leonard commented.

"You probably wouldn't have wanted to stay." Ray offered.

"You're probably right Raymond. I would have wanted to get as far away from this metal tin as possible." Leonard agrees.

"Do you by chance know what Sara wanted to talk to Kendra about?" Ray asked cautiously.

"She wanted Kendra to either start bunking with you, or to move back into hers and Carter's old room so that Sara and I could get some privacy." Leonard explained.

"Does everyone on the ship know about Kendra and I?" Ray asked.

"All Sara and I knew before Mick showed up in the med bay earlier was that Sara saw the two of you sneak off together yesterday. Mick said that he saw you two making out, so he came to check on us. But the full extent of whatever kind of relationship you have with Kendra is unknown to us." Leonard replied.  
"Well, the full extent isn't much more than what Mick saw." Ray admitted.

"Really Raymond, I don't _want_ to know the full extent of your relationship with Kendra." Leonard emphasized.

"Oh, sorry. I don't always have a filter from what I think and what I say." Ray apologized.

"How about we make a deal. You don't tell me things about your relationship with Kendra, and I won't tell you things about my relationship with Sara, deal?" Leonard asked, sticking his hand out to the tech billionaire.

"Deal." Ray agreed.

"Ah, Mr. Snart, I'm so glad to see you up and about." Professor Stein said with a smile as he walked into the kitchen, followed by Jax.

"Up, yes; about, mostly. My balance is a little off, but that comes from being bedridden for 2 days straight." Leonard said with a shrug.

"Where's Sara? And Kendra?" Jax asked.

"Sleeping." Ray replied.

"Together?" Jax asked with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"In the same room, yes; together, no." Ray said quickly.

"Whatever you say Palmer." Jax said with a shake of his head before grabbing a glass of water and sitting down at the table.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Kendra awoke to a dark room and a body curled up at her side. For a fleeting moment, she thought it might have been Ray, but then reality hit and she realized that Ray was taller than her, so it wouldn't make sense for it to be his body. It would, however, make sense for it to be Sara's body, since the blonde was smaller. Plus, Kendra remembered that the last person she had talked to had been Sara. Slowly sliding out of the bed, hoping that she wouldn't wake Sara up, Kendra slipped out of the room. She could faintly hear some of the guys' voices coming from the direction of the kitchen, so that's where she headed. She needed to talk to Ray about them sharing a room so that Sara and Leonard could room together.

"Where's Sara? And Kendra?" Kendra heard Jax ask.

"Sleeping." A smile crossed Kendra's face at the sound of Ray's voice.

"Together?" Of course Jax would make some kind of innuendo about it.

"In the same room, yes; together, no." Well, Ray was lying to try and protect her and Sara's reps.

"Whatever you say Palmer."

With that, Kendra made her way into the kitchen. Leaning against the doorframe, she took in the guys. Professor Stein, Jax, Ray and Leonard were all there, and had she not known better, she would have thought they had all been friends for years, rather than allies for a few months.

"Hey." Kendra said causing all of the guys to jump.

"Oh, hey Kendra." Ray said happily as he walked over to her. "How much of that conversation did you hear?" He asked in a low voice.

"Just the end of it where you lied to Jax about Sara and I sleeping together. You saw us, didn't you?" Kendra asked.

"Yeah, but you weren't sleeping together in the way that Jax was implying." Ray conceded.

"Anyway, I need to talk to you about something." Kendra said with a small smile. "Oh, Leonard, I'm sure Sara would love to wake up and see you there, so if you want to head over to her room you can." She added.

"Thanks Kendra." Leonard said before nodding to Stein and Jax and leaving the kitchen.

Ray followed Kendra out of the kitchen and to his room. Originally, he and Sara had been the only ones that had their own rooms, while Kendra and Carter, Stein and Jax, and Leonard and Mick had all been sharing rooms, but then Carter had been killed and things shifted slightly. Instead of Kendra sleeping in a room by herself, she had ended up bunking with Sara, making Ray the only one without a roommate. But now, things seemed to be about to shift again. If Sara and Leonard started rooming together, and he and Kendra started to room together, then it would mean that Mick would be in a room by himself. But even with their new found relationship, Ray wasn't sure if he was ready to share the only bed in his room with someone, even if that someone was Kendra.

"Ray, how would you honestly feel if we shared this room?" Kendra asked she moved away from him to sit on the bed.

"I'm not sure. The last girl I shared a bed with was Felicity, and you know how that turned out. I mean, we're still friends and all, and I'm still friends with Oliver, but she cheated on me with him and then they ended up getting engaged." Ray replied.

"Would you feel more comfortable if we had separate rooms until we are sure of where, whatever this is, is going?" Kendra asked.

"Probably. At least for now. It is still new, for both of us. I mean, you went from dating Cisco, to reconnecting with Carter, to losing Carter again and now you're dating me, so this is as much about if you're okay with sharing a bed then if I am." Ray rambled slightly.

"I never shared a bed with Cisco, or even Carter since we reconnected. So I guess, in reality, the last person I did share a bed with was Carter in our previous life, but I don't remember that life yet." Kendra explained.

"What are you saying?" Ray asked as he moved to sit next to her on the bed.

"I'm saying that I want to share a bed with someone. Yes, the day that I realized I loved Carter in this life was the same day that I lost him, but what I am feeling for you is something different then what I was feeling for Carter. I don't remember the last time I feel asleep in someone's arms." Kendra said.

"I assume that you are not counting just a little bit ago with Sara?" Ray asked with an amused smile.

"No, I'm not." Kendra replied with a smile of her own.

"Okay, I am willing to try this out, but I have to warn you, if I realize that I'm not ready for this just yet, I wouldn't be rejecting you by asking you to sleep in your old room." Ray said after a deep breath.

"Ray, I would never think that you were rejecting me. Remember, I was the one who turned you down when you first asked me out. And I wouldn't hold it against you if you weren't ready." Kendra said with a smile and a soft kiss to Ray's lips.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Leonard walked into Sara's room as quietly as he could. He didn't want to startle his Canary awake, but at the same time, he was concerned that if he didn't make some sort of noise that she would be even more startled when she woke up to find Kendra gone and him in her room. With a sigh, Leonard gently sat down on the edge of Sara's bed and placed his hand on her thigh. He knew that he was in striking range, but he hoped that she would be able to recognize his touch enough by now that she wouldn't attack him. As her eyes slowly drifted open and her body tensed, Leonard could see her trying to get her bearings, but with the light from outside the room backlighting him, he knew that she couldn't tell who was sitting on her bed.

"It's me Canary." Leonard said softly.

"Len..." Sara breathed out.

"I'm here." He confirmed.

"Kendra's going to talk to Ray about rooming with him." Sara said in a sleepy voice.

"I know." Leonard replied with a nod.

"And Rip had been considering leaving us behind after Savage's men took us. And even once the team saved us, he wanted to leave immediately, our health being the last thing that he was concerned about." Sara explained.

"I'll kill him." Leonard seethed, his concern for Sara's safety fueling his hatred.

"Len, Ray somehow convinced Gideon to listen to him and not to Rip. Ray wouldn't let the ship go anywhere until we were fit for travel." Sara said as she reached her hand out to him and laced their fingers together.

"I don't care. Rip would have let you die just to get his revenge." Leonard said, only slightly calming down at Sara's touch.

"Leonard, there's nothing that you can do right now. Ray has everything under control, and Gideon refuses to listen to Rip's order's right now, so we're fine. We both survived being tortured by Savage; and we have each other. Let's focus on the positive more than the negative, because honestly, I can't live my life negatively anymore. There are too many good things in my life now that I can't keep seeing the world through a negative lens." Sara reprimanded.

"Fine, I won't kill him... yet. But I swear, if he ever puts your life in danger the way he did, I will end him." Leonard promised.

"And I would do the same thing if the situation was reversed." Sara agreed. "But for now, let's just get some sleep." She finished as she scooted under the covers and held them open so that he could climb in as well.

"I used to think that Lisa was the best thing in my life, but I was wrong." Leonard whispered into Sara's ear.

"How were you wrong?" Sara asked.

"She's one of the two best things in my life. You, My Canary, are the other." Leonard responded before pressing a kiss to Sara's neck, just behind her ear.


	4. Chapter 4: Confronting Your Demons

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 4: Confronting Your Demons

Since being brought back to life, Sara had been having nightmares on a nightly basis. Some of those nightmares would involve Constantine's attempt at bringing her soul back as unsuccessful; others would be prior to her getting her soul back and letting the monster within her take over until everyone that she held near to her heart was dead: Laurel, her parents, Oliver, Nyssa, Thea, John, Felicity, Roy, Ray, Barry, Cisco, Caitlyn, basically everyone on Team Arrow and Team Flash. Since joining the crew of the Waverider, the nightmares that involved her killing everyone she loved had spread to include Kendra, Mick, Stein, Jax and Leonard. Carter had been in one of those nightmares, but that happened just after Savage had killed him, so she didn't count that. But the first night back in an actual bed, with Leonard's arms wrapped around her, his warm breath hitting her neck, her body fitting perfectly with his, was the first night since she had come out of the Lazarus Pit without a single nightmare.

Now, it wasn't a completely restless night, but it also wasn't a completely restful night either. Instead of her nightmares, her subconscious brought her deepest, and most hidden hopes, to the surface in the form of dreams. Dreams of a cozy little house, with a white picket fence and a family were the highlights. Things that she had wanted for her life when she had been a child. Things that she had thought had been banished from her mind when she had joined the League of Assassins. But what really pulled her into the dreams was the man who sported a matching wedding ring to her own. It was Leonard. The man who had sworn he would never settle down and have a family, especially after what his own father had done to him and his sister. But there they were, husband and wife, with 2 little kids running around the front yard while Sara held a newborn in her arms, Leonard's arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

As the dream had faded, Sara tried desperately to hold onto it, not wanting to leave just yet. But she didn't have a choice, she was being pulled from her subconscious and back into the land of the awake and living. As she first started to come out of REM sleep, she tried to bury herself deeper under the covers so that the warmth could lull her back to sleep, but that didn't work. It wasn't until she was finally awake, with her eyes fighting to stay closed that she realized just why she was being woken up. Leonard was placing a trail of kisses up and down her neck while the hand that had been around her waist throughout the night was now roaming about her stomach and side. Now fully awake, Sara lightly pressed her body back against Leonard's, and she smirked when she received a groan for the action.

"Tease." Leonard breathed into her ear.

"You are the one that is kissing my neck and running your hand over my stomach and side." Sara replied. "Which pulled me out of a very nice dream, thank you very much." She added with a pout as she turned to face him.

"Oh really, and what, pray tell, made this dream such a nice one?" Leonard asked with a smirk.

"It was a hope of mine from when I had been a kid, only much more of a realistic outcome now that I'm older." Sara said, not wanting to scare him off by telling him that they were married and had 3 kids.

"And what is that hope?" Leonard pried. He wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"That I..." Sara started, but stopped short, dropping her gaze from his.

"Sara?" Leonard prompted, bringing his hand up to her chin to raise her head so that she was looking at him again. "I can't make your hopes and dreams a reality if you don't tell me what they are." He added.

"I'm scared that if I tell you everything about the dream that you might leave." Sara admitted.

"I'm not going anywhere. And not just because I wouldn't make it very far with my stab wound." Leonard said, trying to use humor to lighten the suddenly sullen mood.

"I was married, with 3 kids." Sara started slowly.

"And what about that would make me leave?" Leonard asked.

"You were their father." She added in a small voice.

"Oh. I see." Leonard replied shifting in the bed, slightly uncomfortable.

"I know that you said that you don't want to have kids because of how your father treated you and Lisa, and believe me, since I joined the League, I hadn't thought about having a family, but after everything that we've been through these last few months, would having a family really be the worst thing? I mean, we could leave, go back to 2016, and start our lives together." Sara said as she cupped Leonard's face in her hands and searched his eyes with her own.

"I'm not sure if I should even be a father. I didn't exactly have a great role model growing up." Leonard said slowly.

"But that's the best thing, you would know what to do because you had such a poor example. But no one is perfect Len. I mean, we had two young kids and a newborn, so clearly we had to have been doing something right." Sara said.

"Clearly we figured out how to have amazing sex." Leonard muttered.

"I heard that." Sara commented.

"You weren't not supposed to hear it." Leonard retorted.

"Please Len, you said that you wouldn't be able to help make my hopes and dreams come true if I didn't tell you what they were. Well, I'm telling you what they are, so what are you going to do?" Sara asked.

"I'm going to help you get your dream. Just not right away. We just got together a couple of days ago Sara, and I haven't even been able to take you out on a date. I'm not saying that our family won't be a thing, it's just something that will have to wait a little bit, okay?" Leonard asked. The truth was, he wanted to start a family with Sara, and he wanted to start trying right now.

"Okay." Sara said with a disappointed sigh. Screw waiting, she wanted to start her family with Leonard right away.

"Hey, how about this? The next place we stop at, I'll find us a nice place to go and I'll take you to dinner and maybe even a little dancing. How does that sound?" Leonard asked as he brushed some of Sara's hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Sounds amazing." Sara breathed out as her eyes fluttered close.

 ***** MATURE CONTENT – SKIP AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS *****

"I'm glad you approve." Leonard whispered into her ear before capturing the lobe between his teeth.

"Len, what are you doing?" Sara asked in a shaky voice.

"Well, if we are going to eventually have 3 kids, don't you think we should start practicing?" Leonard asked with a smirk before pressing his lips to Sara's in a deep and passionate kiss.

Their hands were roaming each other's body, desperately trying to remove the other's clothing without breaking the lip lock that they were involved in. They were able to manage getting each other's pants off, but once it came to their shirts, they had no choice but to pull apart. As Leonard hovered over Sara's body, staring down at her, he couldn't remember a time when he had seen anything more beautiful. Her hair was a mess, her lips were bruised from kissing, her cheeks were flushed, her shirt disheveled; but to him, she was the picture of perfection.

Sara couldn't take the staring. She was very turned on, and she needed Leonard to do _something_. After pulling her shirt over her head, then doing the same to Leonard's shirt, Sara wrapped her arms around Leonard's neck and pulled him down to her. Pressing her lips to his neck, Sara sucked and nipped at his pulse point, effectively leaving her mark on him. But even that wasn't enough. Sara needed Leonard inside of her, thrusting hard and deep into her pussy. Reaching down between their bodies, Sara grasped Leonard's dick and lined it up with her opening. She doesn't think about what consequences might arise if this tryst turns into a regular thing; she doesn't think about how her possibly ending up pregnant while on a time-traveling ship could make time jumps even more unpleasant; all she thinks about is feeling Leonard's manhood inside her. It's Leonard who thinks of the possible consequences if this gets to that level of their relationship.

"Are you sure?" Leonard asked in a low, lust filled voice.

"I told you that I would be looking forward to you getting me back for my comment about playing with your gun with Mick. I am completely sure." Sara said in an equally lust-filled voice.

"I don't have anything..." Leonard trailed off.

"I don't care Len. I need you right now." Sara replied as she bucked her hips forward, her hand still between their bodies around his dick.

That was all Leonard needed to hear, that his Canary needed him. After swatting her hand away from his dick, Leonard took hold of it himself and rubbed Sara's folds with the tip, letting it slip inside her every few passes. It wasn't long before Sara was a moaning mess beneath him. He hadn't even done much yet and Sara was begging for more. And more he gave. Thrusting his dick into Sara's pussy, Leonard made sure he was buried balls deep before stilling his movements so that Sara could get accustomed to his size.

"Fuck Len." Sara said with admiration. She hadn't been with a man since before her time in the league, that man having been Oliver, but Len was much bigger than Oliver was.

"Would you rather do that? I was thinking that our first time together would be slow and romantic, not fast and unromantic." Leonard commented with a smirk.

"I'm going to say this once Cold, _do something_." Sara said, bucking her hips again.

"Gladly." Leonard said with a smile before pulling almost all the way out and then thrusting back in.

It had been so long since Sara had had a real life dick inside her that she was falling over the edge in a matter of moments. But Leonard wasn't okay with ending that soon. As Sara came down from her first orgasm, Leonard shifted their position slightly so that he could get a deeper penetration and Sara moaned in pleasure as her second orgasm crashed over her body. Forgetting about their injuries and the world around them, Leonard flipped them over so that his beautiful Canary was on top, riding him. Sara had always enjoyed being on top. It gave her the feeling of being in control of something in her life. And right now, the breadth of her control was Leonard Snart. And Sara couldn't have been happier that Leonard had given up the control instead of her having to take it from him.

Circling her hips against Leonard's, Sara leaned over and started placing hot, open mouthed kisses to his neck and his pecs. Despite his moniker, Leonard was anything but cold under Sara's mouth and hands. Together their bodies were burning up, temporarily melting their respective titles of Crook and Assassin. Lacing her fingers with Leonard's, where his hands laid on the bed by his head, Sara stopped circling her hips and went straight into riding him, hard, all the while their tongues playing tonsil hockey. As her third orgasm- _'damn Len has some amazing stamina'_ – coursed through her body, finally pulling Leonard's along with it, Sara moaned deep and long into Leonard's mouth as she milked his dick dry.

"We have to even that out some." Sara muttered as she got off of Leonard's dick and laid down at his side, one leg draped over his, and her hand resting on his chest, over his heart.

"What do we have to even out? I loved seeing you come undone three times." Leonard replied with a smirk.

"But you only came once Len… that's not fair." Sara said with a pout as she looked up at him.

"Do you want to make me cum two more times tonight to make it even?" Leonard asked as he took the hand that was resting over his heart and led it down to his hardening dick.

"It doesn't have to be tonight, just the next time we have sex, I want us to cum the same amount of times." Sara replied, still lightly stroking the hardening flesh despite her words.

"You sure that's how you feel sweetheart? Cause your actions say otherwise." Leonard commented as he lightly led Sara's hand to encircle his member, then slowly start pumping it.

"Len, is there something that you would like me to do?" Sara asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"There's tons that I would like you to do, but for right now, I want that pretty little hand of yours to get me off." He replied.

"What if…" Sara started before kissing down his jawline, "instead of using my hand to get you off…" she continued her trail of kisses down to his chest and abs, "I take this huge dick into my mouth and suck you off?" She finished by giving half a suck to the head of his dick.

"Stop torturing me woman and just get on with it. I don't know if you know this or not, but hard-ons can get extremely painful if they aren't properly taken care of." Leonard commented with a small grunt.

"Oh, don't worry darling, I plan to take care of it properly." Sara replied before taking as much as she could into her mouth and sucking.

Leonard threw his head back onto the pillow as the sensation of Sara sucking his dick hit him. She had a certain technique that he hadn't experienced any other woman having before and it was glorious. Threading his fingers through her hair, Leonard massaged Sara's scalp and upper neck. He could feel the tension in her muscles, but he wasn't sure if that was from her current position, or if it was in regards to what she had told him earlier about Rip having considered not only leaving them behind, but putting their lives at even greater risk when the team had gotten them back, or even a third option of her body just being overly sore from the fight and Savage's torture. No matter what the reason, Leonard wasn't going to pass up the chance to make his Canary feel better when she was in the process of making him feel like he was on cloud 9.

"Sara, I'm so fucking close, don't stop!" Leonard said, his hips bucking just before he shot his load down Sara's throat.

Sara had always prided her self in bed when it came to her having oral sex. It didn't matter if she was eating out another girl's pussy, or if she was giving a guy a blow job, she always made sure that she swallowed every drop of cum, and making a show of swallowing deeply to turn whomever her current lover at the time was on even more. So, when Leonard groaned at seeing Sara swallow every drop of his semen, Sara couldn't help the smirk that played at her lips, which was still around Leonard's dick.

"Come here Canary." Leonard said in a sultry voice that sent a chill down Sara's spine, one that was enough to get her to do what he had said.

"Yes Leonard?" Sara asked, batting her eyelashes, trying to look innocent while her body hovered over his, but failing miserably.

"If we keep having sex like this, we'll go beyond having three kids." Leonard said before pulling her down and pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret darling…" Sara muttered against Leonard's lips, "I wouldn't mind having more than three kids with you." She added, giving him a peck on the lips before settling against his side and curling up.

"I wouldn't mind that either." Leonard muttered, closing his eyes and trying to imagine the life that Sara had dreamed about.

 ***** MATURE CONTENT ENDED – SAFE TO READ FROM HERE *****

It was morning before either of them moved again. Sara was awake first and, after seeing their state of undress, slowly and carefully climbed over Leonard and grabbed his shirt to pull over her head. She was bending over to pick up their thrown clothes when a hum of approval sounded behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Sara smiled as Leonard took in her appearance.

"I must say Sara, between my shirt and my jacket, I am starting to like seeing you in my clothes." Leonard said, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"I would say that I would have to see you in my clothes to even the playing field, but I don't think that'll work very well." Sara replied.

"Probably not. Are you hungry? We can go to the kitchen and I can make you some breakfast." Leonard offered.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm starving. I kind of missed dinner last night." Sara nodded as she grabbed a pair of leggings from her small closet and pulled them on before tossing Leonard his sweats.

Once they were dressed, the couple made their way to the kitchen. And since Leonard's balance was still slightly off, and because there was only so far Sara could go with half of Leonard's weight on her, they stopped many times to share a kiss. By the time they finally made it to the kitchen, most of the team was already there and eating, the only ones missing being Mick and Rip. Kendra and Ray were feeding each other bites off of the other's plate while Stein and Jax talked about any upgrades that could possibly be made to the splicer. With another small kiss, Leonard made his way over to the cabinets while Sara sat down and started talking to Kendra and Ray. It was as Leonard was putting a plate of pancakes down in front of Sara, sat down with his own plate and pulled her onto his lap that the other two members of the team arrived.

"Okay, I owe you all an apology. In my determination to kill Savage, I have neglected to think of the well being of all of you; most recently being my insistence on leaving this current time, despite Ms. Lance and Mr. Snart's almost fatal conditions. I knew, during every conversation with Mr. Palmer about leaving as soon as possible, that I was wrong, but I can be stubborn at times, which you have all seen previously. But the point is, I'm human, as all of you are; I make mistakes, and for the biggest one I almost made, I am truly and deeply sorry." Rip said as he glanced around at everyone.

"Apology accepted. But know this Rip, if you ever try to gamble with mine or Sara's lives again, we will take you out." Leonard commented.

"Duly noted Mr. Snart." Rip said with a small nod.

"Same goes for Kendra and I." Ray added.

"Understood." Rip agreed before glancing at Stein and Jax.

"You are already aware that if one of us is put in jeopardy, then we both are. Do you need some kind of confirmation on that?" Jax asked.

"No, of course not Mr. Jackson." Rip replied.

"If you put anybody's life at risk like that again, I'll burn you." Mick threatened.

"I would expect nothing less from you Mr. Rory." Rip said with another nod before leaving the room.

As Rip left the kitchen, Sara looked around at the others. No one seemed to have actually believed Rip, but they were going to see what happened next. See if he could slowly start to win their trust back, or if he really just wanted control of "his" ship back.

"I call bull shit on that whole speech." Sara commented, getting six nods in agreement.


	5. Chapter 5: Twenty-One Sixty-Six

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 5: Twenty-One Sixty-Six

The following day Gideon cleared Sara and Leonard for travel and Ray allowed Rip to have some semblance of control of the Waverider back. Despite the team continuously asking him where they were heading next, Rip refused to say a word, having manually entered the time period that he was wanting to take the team to into Gideon's guidance systems. It wasn't until the ship had landed safely that Rip said a word to any of them.

"Feast your eyes on 2166." Rip commented dryly as he motioned to the window before leaving the team on the bridge.

After looking around at each other, each member of the team got out of their seats, one by one. It was clear that everyone on the team realized how horrible this must be for Rip. Whereas their adventure in 2046 had merely been a possibility for them, this version of 2166 was Rip's reality, at least it would be if he wasn't able to stop Savage in the past. Sara had thought that seeing the possibility of what might happen to her home if she and Ray never went back was bad, but seeing what Star City would be like 150 years later was horrific. Placing her hand on the window, Sara stared out at the scene before her. She could hear the others turn and walk away from the sight, but she could also feel Leonard's presence right behind her and Ray's to her left.

"This is the future of our home." Ray said simply.

"Only if we don't succeed at stopping Savage." Sara added.

"Seeing this makes me feel horrible for overthrowing Rip's authority on the ship." Ray admitted.

"You we thinking about me and Leonard. Rip was only thinking of his own personal vendetta. Never feel bad for thinking about the safety of your friends." Sara said as she reached over and grasped his hand in hers.

"We're protecting our home, right Sara?" Ray asked, sounding vulnerable for the first time since Sara had known him.

"Of course we are Ray. Our home, and our loved ones." Sara said as Leonard wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"How do we know that this wasn't what Rip intended to happen?" Stein asked from the other side of the bridge.

"What do you mean?" Mick asked.

"What if Rip wanted us to feel bad for turning on him? What if that was exactly what he intended to happen by showing us 2166?" Stein elaborated.

"We don't. But whether it was his intention or not, we all regret our actions to some degree, right?" Jax asked looking around at everyone.

"Palmer has the most to regret." Mick commented.

"Hey, if it hadn't been for me, your partner could have died. And you didn't have to fall into line behind me. You could have made your own decision of what to do." Ray snapped as he spun around to face the arsonist.

"My partner? You mean him?" Mick asked pointing at Leonard.

"Yeah, I mean him." Ray said with a nod.

"We aren't partners. Haven't been since our time in 2046." Mick said and Leonard's eyes narrowed.

"I thought we were past this Mick." Leonard commented.

"Past it, I don't think so. I told you I didn't want to leave. You knocked me out and forced me back here against my will. You did the same thing to me that Stein did to Jax at the start of this whole thing." Mick scoffed.

"We're a team Mick, all of us. Why would Leonard want to leave you behind?" Sara asked.

"Stay out of this Assassin." Mick snarled.

"Don't talk to her like that." Leonard snapped.

"Mick, if the roles had been reversed, and Leonard had wanted to stay, what would you have done?" Kendra asked.

"I would have stayed in 2046 with him. We could have been kings, but he chose her over me." Mick replied sending a glare at Sara.

"Send another glare or jab at Sara and see what happens." Leonard threatened.

"What would you do? You might be cold heart Snart, but I don't think even you would be able to pull a gun on me." Mick taunted. "You don't even have your Cold Gun on you." He added.

"Try me Mick." Leonard said as he stepped in front of Sara and stared Mick down.

"You went soft. You used to be a thief. You used to have a code. Then she showed up and you changed." Mick roared.

"Yes, a code. A code that says no man gets left behind. I wasn't going to leave you. How would you have reacted if we left you in 2046, then changed the past and the world that you were living in changed around you? You could have been lost in some void of time and space. I wasn't going to let that happen." Leonard said.

"I would have preferred that to losing my best friend to some girl!" Mick exclaimed.

"She's not just 'some girl' Mick!" Leonard shot back.

"You claim to love her, yet you have repeatedly said that you don't do love. I don't even think you have it in you to love anyone other than yourself. You can't even bring yourself to say that you love your own sister. You haven't loved your father since you were a child. What makes you think that you really love her? What makes her so special that you would turn your back on what we had?" Mick questioned as he slowly walked towards Leonard.

"Why would I love a man who abused me? How does wanting to keep Lisa safe mean that I don't love my sister? And people change. And sometimes, other people can change a person. But I never turned my back on you Mick. You're just too thickheaded to see that." Leonard said standing his ground.

"Take it back." Mick threatened.

"No." Leonard said simply.

"Take it back Snart." Mick repeated.

"Never." Leonard said.

"Fine." Mick replied turning away before turning back and punching Leonard hard enough that he staggered backwards before falling over.

"LEONARD!" Sara screamed as she took three steps and fell next his body.

"If any of you think of following me, you will all burn." Mick said, sending a glare to everyone before stalking off of the bridge.

As the others watched Mick leave, Sara pulled Leonard's head on her lap. She knew that his body had simply gone into shock from the punch and hitting the floor, but seeing his face covered in blood was not a sight that she enjoyed. She had already seen enough blood covering his body to last her a lifetime. Lightly shaking him, Sara let out a small whimper when he shook his head and looked up at her.

"Please stop trying to defending me." Sara said with a relieved sigh.

"No can do Canary. You're stuck with me trying to defend you for the rest of our lives." Leonard replied as he reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What are we going to do about Mick?" Kendra asked, breaking the couple out of their own little world.

"There's nothing that we can do. Except respect his wishes." Ray said letting out a sigh.

"Are you kidding? We can't leave him here." Jax asked looking bewildered.

"It's a better plan than bringing him back to 2016. Think about everyone that he could go after if we were to do that. My family, Leonard's sister, mine and Ray's friends, Stein's wife, your mom. Everyone that we care about would be on Mick's hit list; he's hurting in his own way and he wouldn't know how else to handle that other than going after the people that he knows would hurt us all the most." Sara replied.

"You're both crazy." Jax said throwing his hands up in the air.

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't, but are you really wanting to put your mom in danger by letting Mick go back to 2016?" Sara asked.

"No, I'm not." Jax said after a moment or two of silent thinking.

"Then if when we end up leaving 2166, Mick wants to stay, we are all in agreement that we leave him, right?" Sara asked looking around at the others before looking at Leonard last and having a staring contest with him before he relented.

"Agreed." He said with a sigh.

"Are you good to stand up?" Sara asked.

"At least to sit." Leonard replied as he hoisted himself up and plopped down into one of the chairs before pulling Sara onto his lap.

"What are we going to do? Rip walked out of here when we landed, now Mick's gone. Are we just going to sit here and do nothing, or are we going to go do something?" Ray asked.

"Gideon, can you locate Captain Hunter for us please?" Stein asked.

"Captain Hunter is no longer aboard the Waverider. He left, locking the doors after him so that no one else can leave and wander around 2166." Gideon replied.

"We're screwed." Leonard muttered just as Mick stormed back onto the bridge.

"What the hell did you all do!?" Mick yelled.

"It wasn't us, it was Rip." Ray said quickly.

"Watch it Boy Scout." Mick threatened.

"Mr. Palmer is telling the truth Mr. Rory. Captain Hunter manually locked the doors on the Waverider to prevent anyone from following him into 2166." Gideon cut in.

"Listen Robot Voice, I'm going back to the doors, once I'm there you have 10 seconds to open them before I really get mad." Mick said before storming out yet again.

"Do what you can Gideon." Ray commanded.

"Of course Mr. Palmer." Gideon replied while everyone waited with baited breath to listen for Mick blowing the ship up.

When the shouting and the smell of burning metal didn't come, the team let out a collective sigh. They wouldn't have to worry about Mick anymore. At least, most of the team wouldn't have to worry about Mick anymore. Leonard knew that it was going to take some time to get over his best friend thinking that he had betrayed him. Pressing a longing kiss to the juncture between Sara's neck and shoulder, Leonard held her close to him as if he thought that she would walk out on him too. That was something that Leonard knew he wouldn't be able to handle. He had left Lisa back in 2016, and he had killed his father, so the only people he had left had been Mick and Sara, and with Mick's strong desire to leave the mission behind, and it not being safe to send him back to their own time, he only had Sara, and if she left him, Leonard didn't know what he would do.

In the hour or so that followed Mick's departure, the remaining six sat in silence. Sara was resting her head on Leonard's shoulder while he had his arms around her waist; Kendra and Ray were sitting next to each other, their hands clasped together; and Stein and Jax were sitting across from Sara and Leonard with their heads hung. Sara was starting to worry. It had never been this quiet on the Waverider, even when most of the team had been out in the field on some part of the mission, and the fact that they were now down 2 members since their start, she was concerned that the others would start to unravel at the seams. It wasn't until Rip came back onto the bridge, walking briskly towards his captain's chair that anyone said or did anything.

"Mick's gone." Leonard commented.

"I know." Rip replied.

"What are we going to do about it?" Ray asked.

"We are going to respect his wishes to stay here." Rip said. "You all might want to strap yourselves in." He added as he strapped himself in and turned to the window.

"Are we ever going to come back for him?" Jax asked.

"No Mr. Jackson, Mr. Rory wishes to stay here in 2166, so that is what we are going to do. We are never coming back to 2166, at least not with it looking like this." Rip said. "Gideon, please set a course for Oregon, 1958." He added.

"Why are we going to 1958?" Sara asked.

"You and Mr. Palmer are going to be playing house, Ms. Lance." Rip said 4 shouts of disagreement and disapproval.


	6. Chapter 6: Poodle Skirts & Sweater Vests

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 6: Poodle Skirts & Sweater Vests

Throughout the entire time jump, Sara, Leonard, Kendra and Ray tried to reason with Rip about sending a different couple under cover. Of course, when they had mentioned sending Sara and Leonard in instead of Sara and Ray, Rip had immediately shut it down. They couldn't both go in with their still healing injuries, and he was not going to risk sending an actual couple in, especially with what they had told him the day before about ending him if he gambled with any of their lives again. In reality, Rip was concerned about how much Sara and Leonard would play up being pretend married. He had seen them since they had both woken up, how close they had gotten in the past few months, and he was concerned that if he continued to send them into the field together on missions that they would eventually no longer be able to separate their relationship and their feelings for each other from the mission at hand.

With all of them disagreeing his decision, Rip finally relented upon touching down that if a couple was going to go in together, that it would Kendra and Ray, which seemed to settle the team somewhat, but not enough when he started to say that Sara and Leonard would therefore be sitting the mission out. Of course, Sara and Leonard didn't mind sitting this one out. It was not only going to be a chance for them to spend some time together, but to continue to heal from their injuries. As the rest of the team cleared out, and Rip gave them a wary look, Sara turned to Leonard and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could see him holding back tears. Mick had been his closest companion for years, and now he was gone. Sara had no words of comfort for her lover, only her presence, but to her, that didn't seem like it would be enough.

"Is there anything that I can do Len?" Sara whispered.

"I just need some time to think." Leonard replied as he gave her hand a squeeze and then walked away.

"Len..." Sara called after him.

"Just a few minutes Sara, I won't do anything stupid." Leonard said after pausing for a second at the doorway.

Once Leonard was gone, Sara pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She hated feeling useless. The last time she could remember feeling like this was when The Queen's Gambit had gone down in the North China Sea. Laying on the scrap piece of wood, barely feeling alive, thinking about how her family wouldn't even know that she was dead. At least not at first. They might end up figuring it out when news that Robert Queen's boat had gone down, and when her mother revealed to Laurel and her father that she had seen Sara packing for the boat trip with Oliver, but other than that, there was no guarantee that it would be widely known that Sara Lance, the younger sister to Oliver Queen's girlfriend, had been the one that had been accompanying Oliver on his father's boat and was dead.

But there was nothing that she could have done back then. There had to be something that she could do now. She was on a time ship that could do so much to help the man she loved. Standing up, Sara started to pace back and forth as she contemplated her plan. Sure, Leonard had said that he would find a nice place to take her in the next place that they land, but they had been kept on the ship when they had stopped in 2166, so technically, being in 1958 was the next place that they had stopped, so this would have to do. Unfortunately, Leonard wasn't in the mindset to following through with his date idea, so it was going to be up to Sara to do that instead.

"Gideon, what is the nicest place around here that I can get a reservation for two for tonight?" Sara asked.

"That would be Huber's, Ms. Lance. Would you like me to place the reservation?" Gideon replied.

"Yes please Gideon, for two under Mister and Missus Snart." Sara said with a small smile.

"Of course Ms. Lance, the reservation is for 7pm." Gideon said as Sara hurried off of the bridge.

"Thanks Gideon." Sara said making her way towards the ever changing closet of clothes that the Waverider had for just about every occasion in every time.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Leonard had made his way to the training room after leaving Sara on the bridge. He really just needed to blow off steam. And he didn't want to burden Sara with his thoughts, at least not while he was still trying to figure out what exactly his thoughts were about. He needed some space to think about just what was going to happen now that Mick was going to be living out the rest of his life in 2166, instead of staying with the team and eventually going back to 2016 with everyone else. He was close to 40 years old and he had known Mick since he was 14 years old. That was more than half of his life. Mick had been a big part of his life for so long that it was odd to think that he wasn't going to have him around anymore. He had a Mick sized hole in his life, and despite his love for her, Sara wasn't going to be able to fill that hole. She had carved out her own hole in his life, one that only she could fill.

As Leonard started hitting the punching bag, he could clearly see himself as if in a picture. Him and his crew. Lisa was to his left, his arm around her shoulders; Sara was to his right, his other arm around her waist and her hand on his heart; and Mick was on the other side of Lisa, Mick's arm around Lisa's waist. The mental image of seeing his best friend's arm around his baby sister's waist used to be one that he hated, but now that Mick was gone, and he was quickly fading from Leonard's mental image, seeing Mick's arm around Lisa's waist was something that he would have preferred over this. He was punching the bag with so much intensity that he didn't hear Sara come into the training room. Nor did he realize that he had aggravated his stab wound until soft hands latched onto his arm and pulled him away from the bag.

"What happened to not doing something stupid?" Sara asked as she gently lifted his shirt to inspect the wound.

"I didn't do it intentionally Sara." Leonard said instantly defensive.

"Let's get this cleaned up so that we can get out of this tin can." Sara suggested as she took his hand in hers and led him towards the med bay.

As they walked in silence, Leonard took in Sara's appearance. She was wearing a white sweater with a pink poufy poodle skirt, white frilly socks and 50's style walking shoes. She looked every bit the part of 1958's 30 something who was wanting to hold onto her teenage years. He almost dreaded what she had planned if she was dressed like that, but then remembered that he had promised her a date in the next time that they touched down, and while that had been 2166, Rip had discreetly managed to lock them on the ship, so this was, by default, the next stop, so he was supposed to have been planning a date for them.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about planning our first date." Leonard said as they reached the med bay.

"It's okay Len, I have it covered. Gideon made us a reservation for 7pm, so we need to get you cleaned up and dressed properly. I can't have my man looking like a bloody mess, can I?" Sara said with an aloof wave of her hand.

"Sara..." Leonard said softly pulling her attention from finding supplies to him.

"It's okay Leonard, really. You can plan our second date. I know that you were upset about Mick's decision, so I decided to do this to get your mind off of it for a little bit." Sara said as she cupped Leonard's face in her hands and pressing their foreheads together.

"Do I have to dress in some ridiculous outfit?" Leonard asked with a smirk.

"Of course you do." Sara said.

"What would you do if I refused to wear it?" Leonard asked.

"Complain and bug you until you gave in." Sara replied.

"And if I willing put it on?" He asked.

"I would be the happiest girlfriend in the whole of time and space." Sara said causing both of them pause slightly at the word 'girlfriend'.

"Well, anything to make my... girlfriend... happy." Leonard said slowly, trying the foreign word to his vocabulary out.

"If you aren't okay with calling me your girlfriend, you don't have to..." Sara offered, looking away and trying not to feel hurt by what she was saying as Gideon started to patch up the partially reopened wound.

"It's not that I'm not okay with calling you that, I just haven't really had a girlfriend before, so this is new to me." Leonard explained.

"Really?" Sara asked lifting her head to look at him again.

"Really. Everything about this whole thing is new to me. I never thought that I would love someone other than myself and Lisa, but I love you. I never thought that I would be part of a team that was more than just me and Mick, and occasionally Lisa, but I'm here, helping to save the world. I never thought that I would want to have a family other than my sister, but I want to have one with you. Things are changing for me Sara, and I'm trying to keep up with all of the changes. It might take some time to not give the word a second thought, to where it just rolls of my tongue like I've said it my whole life, but I will get there, I promise." Leonard said and Sara's smile spread a warmth into Leonard's heart.

"I can't wait... boyfriend." Sara said slowly trying that word out too.

Leonard could help the smile that crossed his face. _'I'm someone's boyfriend? Not just any someone, but I'm Sara's boyfriend? Lisa would get a kick out of that. Crap... Lisa, and Sara's sister, Laurel, they would be on opposite sides of a fight if the Rogues were to ever go up against the joint teams of Arrow and Flash. Would that have been me and Sara too? Of course it would. She was part of Team Arrow at one point, wasn't she? She was a vigilante. Or had been a vigilante. All of Team Arrow were considered to be vigilantes, so how will this work when we get back home?'_ Leonard's smile faltered. And it didn't go unnoticed by Sara. There was something wrong. But it was nothing that they couldn't figure out together, right?

"Len, what's wrong." Sara asked.

"Our families, our friends, they're against each other. If Lisa and Laurel were to cross paths as Black Canary and Golden Glider, they would try to kill each other. Or at least Lisa might try to kill Laurel where Laurel would probably try to apprehend Lisa. When we go back home, it'll be as if we're Romeo and Juliet, Kira and Kovu. Star-crossed Lovers. How will that work?" Leonard asked and despite the seriousness of his question, Sara burst out laughing.

"Did you just compare us to a couple of animated lions from a Disney movie?" Sara asked through her laughter.

"Yes." Leonard said as a smile slowly broke out on his face until he joined Sara in laughing.

"Once we go back to 2016, we will deal with our feuding friends at that point." Sara said once she had calmed down.

"So you're saying not to worry about it right now." Leonard stated.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Sara said with a nod. "There's nothing that we can do about them right now, especially since none of them are even born in this time, so we shouldn't worry about things that are out of our control at the moment." She added while wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing a light kiss to his lips.

"I hate to interrupt, but it is now 5:30pm, I would suggest, now that Mr. Snart is patched up, is that you continue getting ready for your dinner." Gideon said.

"Thank you Gideon." Sara said before leading Leonard towards the closet where she had laid out his outfit for the evening.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The night went as well as could be expected. There were very few casualties, but those wouldn't have happened if horny teenage boys hadn't tried flirting with Sara, despite her arm around Leonard's waist and his arm around her shoulders. So those boys had gotten a slight beating to teach them not to flirt with another's man woman right in front of him. Their dinner had been amazing and the casualties had happened afterwards, but that didn't derail their evening. All in all, they had enjoyed themselves immensely. They had stayed away from the full topic of Mick, only mentioning him once in a while. Most of their conversation throughout the night revolved around their families and their friends.

The topic that surprised Leonard the most was when he found out that Sara's ex-girlfriend, Nyssa al Ghul, was, in the eyes of the League of Assassins, married to Sara's ex-boyfriend, Oliver Queen. Talk about conflicts of interest and complicated relationships. But when Sara said that she wasn't nearly as upset about the whole marriage thing as Nyssa and Oliver had been at the beginning, that's what drew Leonard's attention and surprise.

"Why aren't you upset by that?" Leonard had asked.

"I was dead. Malcolm Merlyn had already had his daughter, and Oliver's sister, Thea, kill me, and instead of turning Thea over to Nyssa's father, The Demon Head, Oliver took the blame. Said that he had killed me, and challenged Ra's to a fight to the death. Ra's beat Oliver, but he was saved and ended up joining the League himself. Then, instead of passing the title of Demon's Head to Nyssa, Ra's wanted to pass it to Oliver and forced them to get married. The marriage is valid in the League, but nowhere else. So since I was dead, there was nothing I could do to stop it. And even if I had been alive, there wouldn't have been anything that I could have done to stop it." Sara had explained.

The base truth about her death had Leonard wanting to pull Sara into a hug. But that had led him to question how exactly she had been brought back, and why.

"Who's idea was it to bring you back?" Leonard has asked.

"Laurel's. She wanted me back, and she made a deal with Malcolm- he had ended up taking the mantel of Demon's Head after Oliver had killed Ra's- to use the Lazarus Pit to bring me back. No one wanted to do it, because Laurel had no idea what it would do to me. She had no idea the extent of what it had done to Thea when Ra's had killed her and Oliver used the pit to bring her back. But she did it anyway." Sara had said.

"And what was the extent of the effects?" Leonard has asked.

"I was filled with bloodlust. When you are killed, and the Lazarus Pit is used to bring you back, you are filled with this need to kill the person that killed you. Thea's will never truly be gone, but if I get into a murderous rage, I will want to kill her, even though she had killed me under Malcolm's control." Sara had explained with a sullen expression.

"Is there any way to curb the bloodlust if you can't kill the person that killed you?" Leonard had questioned.

"Killing in general calms it down, for a while, but not completely." Sara had replied.

After that they had finished dinner and had been making their way back to the Waverider when the teens had come across their path and had started to try to flirt with Sara. Leonard had no idea what Sara felt when the monster within took over and pushed her into her murderous rage, but having some punk kids hitting on his girl was what Leonard was going to later akin to his own murderous rage. Of course, he didn't want to kill anyone in front of Sara, so he had been able to handle it enough to just beat the kids, but not kill them. After their confrontation with the teens, neither Sara nor Leonard wanted to linger on the streets, so they hurried back to the Waverider. They hadn't expected Rip to be waiting for them with a stern look on his face.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

"What, pray tell, made you think it was a good idea to leave the ship?" Rip asked as he paced in front of the couple.

"We didn't do anything that gave away our being from this time's future." Sara said defensively.

"We were on a date Rip, what's wrong with that?" Leonard added.

"What's wrong with that is Gideon informed me just before you returned that there was an altercation with some local teen boys." Rip said with a sigh.

"They were hitting on Sara, I taught them a lesson." Leonard said with a shrug.

"He roughed them up a bit, he didn't kill them, and I made him leave his cold gun here when we left, those kids will recover and everything will be fine." Sara clarified.

"No Ms. Lance, it will not be fine. What Mr. Snart fails to comprehend, even after we have been going over this from the beginning, is that everything that happens has repercussions on the timeline." Rip said.

"Again, they aren't dead Rip. You are acting like Leonard killed them, he didn't. He showed _some_ restraint and only hit them a little bit. Get off your goddamn high horse and get your head out of your ass long enough to see that we are all always changing. If Len had killed those kids, then this "talk" would make sense, but he didn't, so there's no need for us to be even having a discussion." Sara snapped before stalking off towards her room.

"Mr. Snart, please, show more restrain next time, and just let compliments towards Ms. Lance roll off of your back." Rip begged.

"If they were friendly compliments, I would have done just that. They were vulgar and inappropriate compliments towards her, so I reacted. As Sara pointed out, I didn't kill them, I just beat them up a little bit. But if you continue to see us as the same people who you recruited, then we will always feel the need to act as such. I am more than just a thief, and Sara is so much more than an assassin. Stop treating us such." Leonard said before he followed Sara towards her room, only to find her curled up in a ball, still in her outfit from the evening, and facing the wall. "Sara?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and lightly placed his hand on her arm.

"I hate him Len. It times when he acts like this that I just want to go back home and forget he even recruited us." Sara said.

"Do you want to forget everything that has happened since he recruited us?" Leonard asked cautiously.

"No, just that he came into our lives." Sara said with a sigh.

"If he hadn't, there was no guarantee that we would have ever met, nor would there be a guarantee that we would have been given the chance to get to know each other and fall in love like we have." Leonard said as he laid down and wrapped his arm around her waist, effectively pulling her into his chest.

"I know." Sara said in a small voice.

"When we do go home, you'll have to invest in some more poodle skirts. You look stunning in them." Leonard commented as he placed a kiss on her neck.

"I have to say the same thing to you about sweater vests. At least to change up the type of sweater that you are always wearing." Sara said with a smile as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"You have yourself a deal, my Canary." Leonard agreed pressing a kiss to her lips.


	7. Chapter 7: Return of a Fallen Comrade

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 7: Return of a Fallen Comrade

The following morning, Sara woke up alone. Feeling around behind her, the side of the bed that Leonard had been sleeping it was empty, but still warm. He hadn't left too long ago, which was good, but that still left Sara alone with no idea where her boyfriend was. Slowly sitting up, Sara let her eyes adjust to the darkness that still filled her room. It wasn't until her eyes landed on the pillow that she noticed a note from Len.

 _Sara,  
I couldn't sleep. There were too many thoughts running through my head. I went to the bridge.  
Love, Leonard_

Sara felt a small, sad smile cross her face as she read his words in his, surprisingly elegant, handwriting. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting from seeing Leonard's handwriting for the first time, but the elegant, sloping script certainly wasn't it. Still, climbing out of bed, and realizing that she was still in her outfit from the previous night, Sara quickly changed into something more comfortable and made her way to the bridge. Sara had an inkling of what she would find Leonard doing when she reached her destination, but actually seeing it was heart breaking. Leonard was sitting in one of the chairs, staring at a picture of his sister. As Sara was about to make her presence known, she heard Leonard speaking softly.

"I didn't think that it would happen Sis, but I fell in love with someone. She's feisty, and I think you would like her. She used to be dead, but her sister brought her back to life, and now she's battling worse inner demons then I've ever had to battle. I wish you could meet her, but I don't know when I'll be back for you to do that. Hopefully it'll still be 2016 when we come back, I don't want to miss too much." Leonard said before hanging his head. "I'm sorry that I left you Lisa. I know it's been hard since I killed Lewis, but I wanted to make sure that the world was a better place for you. You still have a chance to make a difference in the kind of life you live. Don't make the same mistakes that Lewis and I have made. You deserve a better life than that." He continued. "And I know that you have had some kind of flirtatious game going on with Mick through the years, but he's gone. We stopped off in the future and he wanted to stay there; he's not coming back Lisa, and for that, I am so sorry. It was my fault that he wanted to leave this mission that I had dragged him into." He finished before muttering for Gideon to close the picture.

"Len." Sara said softly as she made her way forward.

"How much of that did you hear?" Leonard asked as his head shot up to look at her.

"Well, I'm not sure if I missed any of it, but I heard you telling your sister about me." Sara said with a small smile.

"Oh." Leonard said simply. "Did I wake you when I left the room?" He asked.

"No, I woke up shortly after you left... I think. I'm not entirely sure how long ago you left the bed, but when I woke up, your side was still warm, so it couldn't have been too long after." Sara replied.

"Okay. Sorry for making you wake up alone." He said distantly.

"It's okay Len." Sara said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and started to give him a massage.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Kendra woke with a start. Ray still lay next to her, but he was still asleep. Glancing at the clock, Kendra realized that it was pretty early in the morning, but something was off. It was if a part of her had been switched on after being off for a while. How long had she been feeling like a part of her was missing? Surely it didn't have anything to do with Carter's death, did it? Besides, wasn't there already a life that they had lived in the 50s? So surely if what she was feeling had anything to do with Carter, it would be that he was alive again in 2016, right? Lightly moving the covers off of her body and getting out of bed without waking Ray, Kendra grabbed her com and snuck out to the living room. She had to contact Rip, or Sara, or anyone else who was on the Waverider to have them check 2016.

"It's Kendra, does anyone copy?" Kendra asked.

" _What's up Kendra?"_ Sara asked, concern in her voice.

"Are you on the bridge, or near it?" Kendra questioned.

" _Yeah, Len and I are on the bridge, why is everything okay? Did something happen to you or Ray?"_ Sara asked.

"Ray's fine, and I think I am too, but I feel like a part of me was switched on. Can you and Len check 2016 and see if Carter is there?" Kendra asked.

" _Sure, we'll get back to you if we find something."_ Sara replied.

"Thank you Sara." Kendra said with a half sigh of relief.

As she waited to see what her friends could find out about Carter, Kendra tried to keep busy by getting some water going for some tea. She needed to do something to keep from stressing too much about this. What if she was wrong? What if Carter wasn't back? What if it was just something about a previous life that had fallen into place? It could have something to do with Savage's visit the previous night. That had been unsettling, but if it was because of his visit the night before, why then did it not come to her until now? She was just about to unconvincingly assure herself that it was a delayed reaction to Savage stopping by when the crackling of the com broke her out of her thoughts.

"What did you find?" Kendra asked instantly.

" _Carter's alive. He's in Central City 2016. He's still going by Carter Hall."_ Leonard replied.

"Really?" Kendra asked, not 100% sure if she should be relieved or not.

" _Really. Kendra, what are you going to do? You are destined to be with Carter, and you said yourself that the day you realized that you loved him was the same day that you lost him, but you're with Ray now..."_ Sara questioned slowly.

"I don't know. I'll wake Ray up and we'll head back to the ship. Wake up the rest of the team if they aren't already awake and let them know that Ray and I will be back in about an hour or so." Kendra said.

" _Sure thing."_ Sara replied.

"Thank you both again for checking for me." Kendra said.

" _Of course Kendra, we're a team, we have each other's backs."_ Sara said and then the com line went dead.

Kendra took a deep breath. She needed to go wake up Ray, but what was she going to tell him? How was she supposed to tell him that Carter was back? Who was she supposed to pick? Carter who had been her lover through many reincarnations since Ancient Egypt? Or Ray who was the sweet tech billionaire that she had only met a few months ago? She had no idea what she was going to do, or who she was going to pick. Either way, she still needed to go wake up Ray and tell him that they had to go back to the Waverider. As she stood up and turned around, she let out a yelp.

"Ray, don't scare me like that." Kendra said as she held her chest.

"Sorry. I heard you talking to someone. Is everything okay?" Ray asked coming up to her and rubbing her arms to soothe her.

"We need to go back to the Waverider, right now." Kendra said slowly.

"Why? Is the team in trouble?" Ray asked.

"No, but, um, Carter's alive. He's back in 2016." Kendra said.

"Really, that's great. We can go get him and have him join back up with the team." Ray said with a lot more enthusiasm then Kendra thought he should have.

"You're not upset that my long term lover is back?" Kendra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, it wouldn't be the first time that my girlfriend left me for a previous lover. All I want is for you to be happy Kendra, and if Carter is who makes you happy, then I won't stand in the way." Ray said as he pulled her into a hug before letting his smile falter.

"Thank you Ray." Kendra muttered into his shoulder.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

As soon as the com went dead, Sara turned to Leonard. They were going to be going back to 2016. If they were able to sneak away for an hour or so when Kendra went to talk to Carter to bring him back, they could go see their families and tell them what was going on. Before they could even more from their spots to go wake the rest of the team, Rip walked into the room with Stein and Jax behind him. Glancing at the team before back at each other, Sara and Leonard both took a breath.

"We need to go back to 2016." The couple said together.

"Why would we do that?" Rip asked, clearly still annoyed with them about the night before.

"Carter's alive. He's in Central City, 2016. Kendra and Ray are already on their way back here so that we can go back and get Carter." Leonard explained.

"Mr. Hall couldn't be back. Ms. Saunders needs to be killed before they reincarnate." Rip said with a roll of his eyes.

"Really? Because Kendra contacted us to ask us to check. She felt something get switched on. She alluded to the fact that she had felt like a part of her had been turned off when Carter had been killed, and she specifically asked us to check for him in 2016. He's there, and he still goes by Carter Hall. If you have an issue with getting another member of our team back when it was not his choice to leave, then we will not hesitate to have Ray take over the ship again." Sara said and the look on Rip's face spoke volumes. He was going to allow them to go get Carter, even if it was just to not lose control of his ship again.

"Fine, once Ms. Saunders and Mr. Palmer return we will be on our way. We will not linger in 2016 for any longer than we need to. We will get there, have Kendra convince Carter to join back up with us and then we will be back to the mission. Anyone not on the ship when Kendra returns with Carter will no longer be a member of the team." Rip said glancing straight at Sara and Leonard.

"What are you looking at them for?" Jax asked.

"He's saying that if Sara and I aren't back on the ship by the time that Kendra and Carter get back, that we won't be continuing on the mission." Leonard replied staring Rip down.

"We all have people in our lives that would like to know that we are alive and well." Stein commented.

"Yeah, Sara and Leonard aren't the only ones who would leave to see family and friends." Jax agreed.

"Besides, Kendra and Carter already defeated Savage in 2016. With Arrow and Flash's help. There's no immediate threat in present day 2016 that should make you try and stop us from spending a day or two with our loved ones. Loved ones who haven't seen us in 3, almost 4 months." Sara pointed out.

"Fine, you can all have 2 days to spend with your loved ones in 2016, and then if you are not back on this ship first thing on the 3rd day, you will be left behind." Rip relented after taking in the looks on the faces of the team members he had standing in front of him.

After that, everyone went to get dressed. There was no way that they were going to show up in 2016 and then linger on the Waverider to get dressed. That would cut into their 2 days with their family and friends. As Sara changed, her thoughts drifted to her sister. How would Laurel react to her relationship with Leonard? How would she react to Leonard in general? Sara knew that Laurel was friends, to an extent, with Barry because of Barry and Oliver's friendship, and that Leonard and Barry were frenemies, but would that mean that Laurel would judge him for his past before taking the time to get to know him as her baby sister's boyfriend. Sara was not naïve to think that Leonard had completely ridden himself of his past tendencies, but at the same time, he had changed. He was trying to be a better man, just like Sara had tried to be a better woman. But would Laurel take that into account?

By the time that Sara, Leonard, Stein and Jax all got back to the bridge, Ray and Kendra were already back and already sitting in their seats. It did not go unnoticed by the team that the two sat as far away from each other as they possibly could. Sara was concerned that this might happen. Ray had been left for another man once before, and despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Sara knew that Felicity leaving Ray for Oliver had been hard. Heck, Ray had almost gotten himself blown up, and was presumed dead shortly after Felicity and Oliver Star City. Sara couldn't even imagine what Ray must be feeling right now. But Sara was torn, she cared deeply for both of her friends, and she knew that both of her friends could use some comforting, but who should she comfort?

Before Sara could make up her mind, Jax made his way over to sit next to Kendra. Despite Carter's impending return to the team, Jax still had a crush on Kendra, and as going to be there for her until they got Carter back. With her decision made for her, Sara made her way over to the set of chairs to Ray's left and sat down. Leonard sat next to her, and while she wanted to hold her boyfriend's hand to get comfort for their impending talks with their families, Ray had been her friend well before she had known Leonard, so she reached out and took Ray's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. When he felt the pressure in his hand, Ray looked up and gave her a grateful smile. A smile that didn't quite reach his pain-filled eyes. Sara gave him what she hoped was a comforting smile, one that told him that she would be there for him if he needed to talk.

"Gideon, please set a course for Central City, 2016." Rip said as he took his spot in the Captain's chair and turned to face the window.

The trip from 1958 to 2016 was quick. They were in the Temporal Vortex, and then they weren't. They were landing in a seemingly vacant parking lot, one that Ray, Stein, Jax, Kendra, and even Leonard knew belonged to the STAR Labs building. While Stein, Jax and Kendra sighed at seeing the familiar building, Leonard swore under his breath. Of all the vacant lots in Central City, Rip had to choose the one that was so close to Barry Allen's base of operations. Today was not going as Leonard had hoped it would.

"Okay everyone, you have 2 full days, and the rest of today to spend with your loved ones, then first thing in the morning on the 3rd day, we are to meet back here to continue with the mission. As I mentioned earlier to most of you, if you are not on this ship first thing the morning of the 3rd day, you have lost your spot on this team and you will be left behind, is that understood?" Rip said as his chair spun back around to face everyone. With a handful of nods and grunts of agreement, Rip left to head to his room, telling Gideon to cloak the ship once the team had all filed off.

"I'm going to go see if Barry and his team could help me locate Carter, I'll see you guys later." Kendra said as she hurried inside, followed by Stein and Jax.

"It looks like the three of us are on our own." Leonard said.

"You don't want to see Barry? Show him how happy you are?" Ray asked.

"Not particularly. The kid can be a bit smug at times. Tried to tell me at one point that there was good in me. I don't want an 'I told you so' speech from him." Leonard said with a wink at Sara.

"Maybe once we're further along in our relationship, and we've come back to Central City for good, we can swing by and let him know." Sara suggested.

"Good idea. Now, I only have 1 person here that I need to talk to, and after that, we can all head to Star City." Leonard said.

"Sounds good." Ray said with a nod.

"Is she going to be happy that you're happy? Or is she going to think that I'm trying to steal her big brother away from her?" Sara asked.

"Hopefully she'll be happy that I'm happy. If she thinks, even for one second that you are trying to take me away from her, I'll talk her down." Leonard said.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Ray piped up.

"Yeah, her name's Lisa. Cisco gave her the name Golden Glider. He made her a gold gun." Leonard said with a shrug as he started to walk away from the Waverider.

"We're going to walk there?" Ray asked.

"Yes Raymond, we're going to walk there. I don't exactly have access to a car right now." Leonard replied, his snarkiness coming back in full.

"Len, please remember that you're trying to be a better man. Please try not to slip back into old habits just because we're back in 2016." Sara begged.

"Don't worry. I won't." Leonard said as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

When Kendra, Stein and Jax walked into the lab, they were met with shocked stares from Team Flash. None of their friends had heard from them in months, now, here they all were, standing in front of them. It was Caitlin who recovered first.

"Oh my gosh, it so great to see all of you again." Caitlin said as she walked over and gave Kendra a hug.

"Hey Caitlin. It's great to see you as well. I wish it was under different circumstances though." Kendra said while locking eyes with the two men of Firestorm.

"What do you mean 'under different circumstances'?" Barry asked.

"We only have a few days here in 2016 before we have to leave again." Stein replied.

"Leave where? We haven't seen or heard from any of you in 3 or 4 months." Cisco said.

"We've been traveling. To some interesting places in time, I might add." Stein explained.

"We'll get to all of the details later, but I really need your guys' help. Carter was killed while we were away, but he's back now, and he's somewhere here in Central City, can you locate him for me?" Kendra asked, cutting off whatever Cisco was about to say.

"Of course." Caitlin said with a sad smile. She knew what it was like to lose the man you loved. She had lost Ronnie, twice.

"He's reincarnated, so is his name different now?" Barry asked.

"No, he's still going by Carter Hall. I think his name might only change if we had both been killed and had reincarnated at the same time." Kendra said, her uncertainty about the whole reincarnation clearly showing in her voice.

"It looks like he's downtown at the train station." Caitlin said, but before she could finish speaking, Barry had sped out of the room only to return a moment later, Carter in tow, dry heaving.

"Oh my god, Carter, are you alright?" Kendra asked as she rushed over to him.

"I would have preferred to fly here instead of being sped here, but I'm sure this nauseous feeling will pass in a moment or two." Carter replied. "It's great to see you Kendra. I wasn't sure if you had come back from the mission or not, so I was going to look for you here, and then, if I couldn't find you, I was going to head to St. Roch at look for you there." He added.

"We just got back. After you were killed, I couldn't come back here knowing that I wouldn't know when I would see you next. Every other time one of us has died, the other has did just after or just before. There has never been a time when one of us has died and the other has not." Kendra said as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Carter, it is great to see you again." Stein said with a smile once Kendra had let go.

"You too Professor, Jax." Carter said with a nod in Jax's direction.

"We came to bring you back to the ship... if you want to come back that is." Kendra said with a hopeful look.

"Of course I want to come back, I never wanted to leave you Kendra." Carter said as he wrapped and arm around her waist.

"How long do you all have before you have to head back?" Caitlin asked.

"The rest of today, and then 2 full days after that. Then we need to get back to the ship." Stein replied.

"We should all go out to dinner tonight." Barry suggested.

"Or we could all eat in?" Caitlin suggested giving Barry a thoughtful look.

"Yeah, eating in works too. I'll talk to Joe about you all coming over tonight." Barry said before pulling his phone out and walking away from the group.

"How's the rest of the team?" Carter asked.

"Leonard and Sara are a couple now." Jax commented.

"And Mr. Rory just recently expressed an interest in leaving the team." Stein added.

"And Ray?" Carter asked.

"He's as good as he can be." Kendra commented vaguely.

"I hope he isn't sick or anything." Carter replied.

"If anything, his emotionally sick." Kendra muttered. She knew his cheeriness that morning had been forced, he wasn't that great at lying.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

As Sara and Ray entered the small apartment behind Leonard, they took in the décor. It was dingy, and there was barely any furniture. It was more of a crashing pad than anything else, but Sara assumed that Lisa probably tried to stay away from this apartment as much as possible, being as how her only family was Leonard and Mick, and they had both left. Despite the fact that they were being quiet, no one heard the movement that came from the back of the apartment until something landed with a thud on the floor at their feet. Whatever it had been, it was now coated in gold.

"LISA! It's me, it's Lenny." Leonard called out and Ray snickered a little.

"Is it really you big brother?" Lisa asked as she walked down the hall, her gold gun still raised, causing Leonard to raise his cold gun.

"Yes, it's really me." Leonard said as his sister finally stepped into what was supposed to be a living room.

"Who are they?" Lisa asked nodding towards Sara and Ray.

"That's Doctor Raymond Palmer, CEO of Palmer Tech. And that's Sara Lance, my girlfriend. They're both from Star City." Leonard replied.

"SHE'S YOUR WHAT!?" Lisa exclaimed.


	8. Chapter 8: We Are Family

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 8: We Are Family

Sara and Ray stood by the door while Leonard talked to Lisa across the room. From her initial reaction, Sara couldn't tell if Lisa was happy or upset by the fact that Leonard had a girlfriend, but it seemed, given Leonard's insistence in calming her down, that she had been upset. Or maybe Lisa was merely in shock over finding out that Leonard had a girlfriend. No matter what way it ended up being, Sara was not ready to say anything to Lisa when Leonard motioned for her to come over. After glancing at Ray to see what he thought she should do, and only getting a shrug and a slight push in the siblings' direction, Sara made her way over.

"It's nice to meet you Lisa." Sara said with what she hoped was a genuine smile.

"My brother says that you are friends with the vigilantes in Star City, and that you are an acquaintance of the Flash, is this true?" Lisa asked narrowing her eyes at Sara.

"Yes." Sara replied simply.

"How can I be sure that you aren't just playing my brother and won't turn him over to the authorities the first chance that you get?" Lisa asked.

"You don't. But Len trusts me, and you trust his judgement, right?" Sara asked in return.

"Lenny has difficult trusting anyone, in fact the people that he trusts can be listed on one hand. Me, Mick, and apparently you, so there's that." Lisa said, not noticing the flinch that Leonard gave at Mick's name.

"That's not true anymore Sis." Leonard spoke up.

"What do you mean it's not true?" Lisa asked looking from Sara to Leonard.

"Mick betrayed us, betrayed me. He walked out on the team that we had been recruited for. Even if he was to come back, I would never be able to trust him again. So Mick's out, the rest of the team is in." Leonard explained vaguely.

"The rest of the team?" Lisa asked skeptically, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes Lisa, the rest of the team. Ray, Professor Stein, Jax, Kendra and Carter." Leonard said with a sigh.

"And you just left Mick somewhere? Why would you do that? He's your best friend..." Lisa said trailing off at the end when she saw the look in her brother's eyes.

"Mick might have been the closest thing to a best friend that I had, but he wanted to leave. I started to change, he didn't want to, he was still all about the score; that was no longer enough for me." Leonard said.

"What did you do to my brother!?" Lisa snapped as she rounded on Sara.

"I didn't do anything. He started to change well before anything happened between us." Sara said firmly.

"No one is to blame for this Lisa. When given a chance to be free of what you were always told you had to be, people change. That's what happened to me. So don't blame Sara for any of this, she was the encouragement I needed when my ideals and views started to change. Sara only wants what's best for me, and for me to be the man that I will be happy being. I wasn't happy following in Lewis' footsteps, you know that." Leonard said.

"This seems to be a family matter, so I'm going to step out into the hall." Ray said before quickly slipping out of the apartment.

"Get back in here Raymond." Leonard snapped.

Sara couldn't help but let a small bit of laughter burst from her chest as Ray reentered the room. Apparently, Ray didn't want to be on Leonard's bad side. And despite her laughter, Sara knew that she never wanted to be on Leonard's bad side either, which just presented another obstacle that they needed to jump over in getting their families to be okay with their relationship. With an abrupt sullen expression, Sara turned away from Leonard and Lisa and walked out of the apartment. She needed air, needed a chance to think, away from the mini family reunion that was happening inside.

She should have known that neither Leonard nor Ray would have let her get too far before they caught up with her. She had barely made it to the front door of the building when Leonard was behind her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Turning towards her boyfriend, Sara started crying against his chest. The weight of what they were doing- time traveling to try and stop a 4000-year-old immortal; telling their families who were on opposite sides of the law that they were dating; trying to navigate a relationship when neither of them had thought they even deserved one- was all starting to suffocate her. How were they supposed to manage this? How were they supposed to get their families to see that they made each other happier than they had ever been? How were they supposed to start a family together if they didn't even know if their separate families would be able to get along? All of it just came out as tears as Leonard rubbed Sara's back, trying to calm her down. He had been so emotionally closed off for most of his life that he had a slightly easier time keeping his emotions in check then Sara did, but that didn't stop him from hurting for the woman he loved when she was upset.

"How is this going to work Len? Our families..." Sara trailed off as she pulled away from his embrace enough to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"We'll figure it out, together. Neither of us are in this relationship alone Sara, we have each other to lean on and to help get us through the hard times. Besides, if relationships were easy, there would be nothing to strive for in them." Leonard said as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now come back upstairs." He added.

"I don't know if I can." Sara muttered.

"Yes you can. I'll be with you the entire time. Lisa just needs to get to know you better, everything will be fine." Leonard said with another kiss.

"No, I mean I don't know if I can go back to the ship. Leonard, if we are going to make this work between us and our families, we won't be able to do that while you and I are on time ship. I think we should stay." Sara explained.

"Let's talk to the rest of the team before we make any decisions." Leonard said after a moment of mulling the idea of staying over in his head.

"Deal." Sara said before she took Leonard's hand in hers and allowed him to lead her back upstairs.

"Hey, are you okay Sara?" Ray asked once the couple reached the hallways outside of the apartment.

"Yeah, just a moment of hysteria." Sara said. "Ray, do you want to go back to the ship?" She asked before they walked back into the room.

"I'm not sure. I'm not thrilled with the idea of going back to working with a guy who doesn't care about my friends' lives." Ray replied.

"We just need to get in touch with the others than." Sara said looking at Leonard.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Kendra was thrilled that Carter was back, but she was starting to think that it wouldn't be a good idea for them to go back to working with Rip. And not just her and Carter, but anyone on the team. Rip was so clouded by his need for revenge that he was willing to risk anyone on the team to achieve it. And that wasn't sitting well with Kendra. It hadn't been sitting well with her since Sara and Leonard had been taken by Savage's men last week. So as she, Carter, Stein and Jax were heading out of STAR Labs, Kendra pulled them to the side. She needed to get their opinion on the matter.

"Do any of you really want to go back to working with Rip?" Kendra asked.

"I'll do whatever you want to do; whether it's go back to the ship or not." Carter said.

"Rip has been slowly getting more and more obsessed with this revenge mission. We lost Carter once, and we almost lost Sara and Len, I don't want to risk anyone else on the team." Jax admitted.

"This is one of the few times that I have to agree with you Jefferson." Stein agreed.

"So, we're all in agreement? We're not going back?" Kendra asked.

"We're in agreement. We just need to get in touch with Sara, Leonard and Ray and see what they think." Jax said.

"What about Mick? You said that he was left in 2166, right?" Carter pointed out.

"That would be up to Leonard." Stein replied.

"Mick turned his back on Leonard and threatened to burn all of us if we tried to stop him from leaving the ship in 2166, I say that we respect his wish and leave him where he is." Jax said.

"Plus, the possibilities of what he could do if we brought him back here are still as unknown as they were before he left." Kendra added.

"Then it's settled, we're not going back to work with Rip, and we are leaving Mr. Rory in 2166." Stein said.

"I guess so." Kendra said. "Who's going to get in touch with the others?" She asked.

"I'll do it." Jax offered as he pulled his com out of his pocket and turned it on.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Sara and Lisa had been talking in whispers the corner while Leonard and Ray stood by the door when the coms crackled to life in Sara, Leonard and Ray's ears.

" _Hey guys, you there?"_ Jax asked.

"We're here Jax, what's up?" Sara replied.

" _We found Carter, and he's with us, but we need to talk. All of us, as a team."_ Jax said.

"Where do you want to meet?" Ray asked.

" _Barry said that we could come over for dinner, we could talk there. We would just have to let him know that the three of you would be joining us as well."_ Jax said.

"Maybe not the best location for me to be." Leonard commented.

" _We'll explain the situation, I'm sure he'll understand."_ Jax replied.

"It's not him that I'm worried, it's his father." Leonard commented, making sure not mention any names around Lisa; a deal was a deal.

" _You mean Joe? What's he got to do with it?"_ Jax asked.

"How about we meet in Star City instead, I can talk to Oliver, see if we could use his place." Sara offered.

" _That works; keep us posted so that we can let Barry know."_ Jax said.

"Will do Jax." Ray said and the coms went dead.

Sara locked eyes with Leonard. They were thinking the same thing. The rest of the team was just as wary of going to back to working with Rip as they were. Sara had a feeling that the whole team was in agreement. The Waverider was going to be leaving without any of them on it. The only thing they would have to do would be to get onto the ship to get their stuff, but other than that, they were all staying in 2016. The only one that was not going to be here would be Mick.

"I'm sorry Len." Sara said softly. She could see in his eyes that he had come to the same realization as she had about Mick.

"It's okay. He wanted to leave. It was his choice to make." Leonard said with a shrug.

"Still, he was the closest thing to a best friend that you had." Sara said.

"I'll be fine." Leonard said.

"Shouldn't you call Oliver?" Ray asked.

"Right... Lisa, do you have a phone or something that I can borrow?" Sara asked.

"No, I don't." Lisa said with an apologetic look.

"Looks like we're heading back to STAR Labs and using their phone." Sara said with a small shake of her head.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Once Sara, Leonard and Ray got back to STAR Labs, everyone on the team took their coms out and made sure they were turned off. They couldn't risk Rip listening in on their conversation. However, as soon as the members of Team Flash saw Leonard, they all got defensive. The action didn't go unnoticed by Sara to which she looked between Leonard and the others. Leonard seemed to be in a staring match with Barry, one that Barry was definitely participating in, but when she wrapped her arm through Leonard's, and laced their fingers together, Sara saw Barry's eyes flicker to their joined hands before looking back to Leonard's face. With a smirk, Leonard nodded once, answering some unspoken question.

"Okay, so what did you guys need to talk to us about?" Ray asked, the tension in the room seemingly going unnoticed by him.

"We aren't planning on going with Rip." Kendra spoke up.

"Good, neither are we." Sara said.

"So, we're all in agreement about something?" Jax asked.

"It's not like it's the first time that that has happened Jefferson." Stein pointed out.

"Well, I mean, the only reason we were all in agreement about not going anywhere after what happened to Sara and Leonard, but that was because we all knew what could happen if we did. This is different. We are actually all in agreement on a decision that involves a mission. Or, the lack of a mission." Jax said defensively.

"Hey, stop arguing with each other." Sara said stepping between the two halves of Firestorm.

"Is there anything that we do have to go back to the Waverider for?" Kendra asked.

"Our clothes and other belongings. Ray's suit is still on there, and so is the splicer for Jax and Stein." Sara commented.

"And Sara's bow staff." Leonard added.

"Nope, that's on me pretty much as much as your cold gun is on you honey." Sara said, the sudden urge to give him a cutesy nickname surprising them both.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore. What the hell happened to you Snart?" Barry asked.

"I fell in love Barry, that's what. Barry, this is Sara Lance. I believe you know her sister Laurel, Black Canary. Well, Flash, this is White Canary... my girlfriend." Leonard said and couldn't help the smirk that graced his face when Barry's mouth fell open.

"Wait, Captain Cold is dating the White Canary!?" Cisco exclaimed.

"That's right Cisco." Sara said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Leonard's waist and leaned into his side. "And thank you for the outfit. I love it." She added.

"Not as much as I love seeing you in it." Leonard whispered in her ear.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even put that connection together. I helped your sister modify some of the tech that she got from you when you passed the mantel of Black Canary to her." Cisco said as he started bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I didn't exactly pass the mantel of Black Canary to her... I was killed and she took the mantel up herself in an attempt to avenge my death, then she became her own identity." Sara said slowly.

"How are you alive?" Barry asked.

"Something called a Lazarus Pit. Laurel used it to bring me back after I had been dead for a year. I still struggle with the bloodlust that comes with it, but it will be completely abated." Sara explained.

"Why not?" Kendra asked.

"I'm not going to kill Thea to make it go away. I would rather learn to control the bloodlust then put another member of Oliver's family in the ground. I've known Thea for too long to let my blood lust be the reason she gets hurt." Sara replied.

"What does Thea have to do with your bloodlust?" Caitlin asked.

"When you're killed, and then brought back using the Lazarus Pit, you have this bloodlust that will only be sated if you kill the person that killed you. Before my soul was brought back, I tried to kill Thea because she had killed me, but I was saved. And where as my bloodlust could be sated if I killed Thea, Thea's bloodlust will never be sated because Oliver killed the man who killed Thea." Sara explained.

"That sounds like a major downside to reincarnation." Carter commented.

"Bloodlust isn't just a downside Carter, it's a curse." Sara replied before looking up at Leonard. "But I have someone who will stupidly put himself in harm's way if I lose control just to help me control it." She added.

"There's nothing stupid about trying to protect you my Canary." Leonard commented.

"Seriously, who are you, and what did you do with Leonard Snart?" Barry asked, still shocked by the revelation of a loving Captain Cold.

"Oh, and where's your hot headed companion, Heat Wave?" Cisco asked.

"Mick is gone and he's not coming back." Leonard snapped.

"There's the Captain Cold we know and love to hate." Cisco muttered.

"Watch it Ramone." Leonard said warningly.

"So, since we came to an agreement on what we were going to be doing, are we still needing to go to Star City?" Jax asked.

"You don't have to Jax, but Sara, Leonard and I do. Most of the team is from Central City, Sara and I are from Star City, our family and friends, present STAR Labs company excluded, are all there." Ray said.

"If the three of you are going to Star City, then so are we. We are still a team, no matter what we've chosen to do about the whole Legends thing." Kendra commented.

"That's really not necessary Kendra..." Ray started.

"Doesn't change the fact that it is what we're going to do." Kendra snapped back.

"Hey, hey, you two need to confront this situation." Stein said stepping between them.

"There's nothing to confront. Kendra felt that Carter was alive again she went running back to him. This isn't my first rodeo Professor. I'm a convenient substitute when the girl that I'm falling for doesn't have the man they really love around, but as soon as he comes back, I'm left behind. Felicity did it with Oliver, now Kendra's done it with Carter. I knew I shouldn't have allowed myself to fall for someone else after Ana was killed." Ray said as nonchalantly as he could, but no one was buying it.

"I'm sorry Ray. I honestly didn't think that I would see Carter again in this life. I didn't want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you." Kendra said.

"It is what it is Kendra, we had our brief time as a thing that could be akin to what Sara and Leonard have, but that's all it ever will be. A brief escape from reality." Ray said before walking out of the room.

"Barry, can I borrow your phone really quick?" Sara asked after watching Ray walk away from everyone.

"Sure." Barry said as he handed it over.

Sara quickly scrolled through Barry's contacts until she came to the one that she was looking for. She wasn't sure if this would be a good idea, but Ray was hurting, and Sara had a feeling that there was only one person that could help him get past this. Holding the phone to her ear, Sara waited as it rang on the other end. She was just about to hang up when the person answered.

" **Barry, what's wrong?"** Felicity asked.

"It's me Felicity; it's Sara. I need your help with something." Sara said.

" **Oh my gosh, Sara, it is so amazing to hear your voice again. Is everything okay? Why do you have Barry's phone?"** Felicity asked.

"Barry's just fine, I have his phone because I'm at STAR Labs, but this is about Ray." Sara said.

" **Is Ray hurt? Please tell me that whatever that Rip Hunter guy had you all doing didn't get Ray hurt, or worse."** Felicity said.

"He's _hurting_. Emotionally at least. He started fall for Kendra and things went sideways, I think you might be the only one who can help him with this." Sara explained.

" **Does Ray have his phone? I'll call him right now if he does."** Felicity questioned.

"None of us were able to bring our phones, but let me see if I can find him, I'll pass the phone to him if I can, so give me just a moment." Sara said before putting Felicity on hold. "Which way did Ray go?" She asked.

"He's pacing by the elevator." Caitlin said.

"Thanks." Sara replied before hurrying to catch Ray before he left the building. "Ray, wait!" She called out just as he was getting onto the elevator.

"What Sara?" Ray asked.

"Felicity wants to talk to you." Sara replied holding the phone out to him.

"You called Felicity!?" Ray exclaimed.

"Yes, I did. I don't like seeing you like this Ray, and honestly, from what Laurel and Oliver have told me, you seemed to have deeper feelings for Felicity then you have for Kendra. Take the phone and talk to her. And come back to the lab when you're done. We won't head back to Star City without you." Sara said pressing the phone into Ray's hand before turning and walking back.

"Felicity?" Ray asked.

" **Hi Ray. Sara said that you were hurting."** Felicity said from the other end, both of them letting out a sigh.


	9. Chapter 9: Second Chances

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 9: Second Chances

When Sara walked back into the room, she could feel the tension that was oozing from everyone. Stein and Jax were discussing something with Cisco, who had his back to Kendra and Carter. Kendra and Carter were talking about what to do now that Savage was dead in this time. And then there was Caitlin, Barry and Leonard. The two former ones were standing by Barry's Flash suit, talking adamantly to each other while occasionally sending wary looks towards Leonard who was leaning again the wall by the doorway. It wasn't long after Sara had stepped into the room that Leonard was pulling her towards him and positioning himself in front of her while he half had her pinned to the wall that he had just been leaning against.

"Is everything okay with Ray?" Leonard asked as he leaned in a pressed a small kiss to her neck.

"I hope so. I was able to catch him before he got onto the elevator, and he's currently talking to Felicity." Sara replied as she ran her hands up his chest and to his shoulders and lacing her fingers together behind his neck.

"Was it wise to have him talk to the first girl who left him for a former lover?" Leonard asked.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see once he comes back in here. I told him the team wasn't going to leave for Star City until he came back in here." Sara said.

"Do you want to mess with Barry a little bit?" Leonard asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Sure. What did you have in mind honey?" Sara asked in reply.

"This." Leonard said as he fully pressed his lips against hers and ran his tongue against her bottom lip.

As Sara deepened the kiss, the low murmur that had been filling the room drifted away. Whether it was because she was getting lost in Leonard's touch, or because everyone was staring that them, completely speechless, Sara didn't know, nor did she really care. Leonard was an amazing kisser and it was a slight turn on to know that Leonard was taking any chance he could get to make out with her. It was a bonus that he was killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. Making out with Sara, and messing with Barry at the same time. It wasn't until there was a deep clearing of someone's throat that Sara and Leonard broke apart, both surprised to find that at some point, Sara had jumped up to wrap her legs around Leonard's waist, his stab wound forgotten in the heat of the moment.

"Okay, um, as I'm sure you are all aware, I just talked to Felicity. She has agreed to let Sara and Kendra stay with her tonight while Carter, Professor Stein, Jax and Leonard stay at my place. I was tossing around the idea of most of us could look for a place where we could all live. I figured if we are going to stay a team, just without Rip and the Waverider involved, that we should find something like a home base of sorts. Felicity agrees with the idea, and has offered to help us look for one tomorrow. Professor, I figured that you would want to be at home with your wife, but if there is ever a time that we would finish up with any kind of mission at an unreasonable hour, that we could have room for you as well." Ray said looking around at everyone. "What do you all think?" He asked.

"I think that's a brilliant idea Mr. Palmer." Stein said with a nod.

"Yeah, it would save us all the hassle of trying to reacclimatize ourselves into our old lives. It would be like a fresh start for all of us." Sara agreed.

"Kendra and I still have a place in St. Roch, but I could always put it on the market, but I'll only do that if Kendra wants to do this, and if everyone on the team agrees that this is a good idea." Carter said.

"As long as it's big enough that we wouldn't feel like we were living on top of each other, and we could all have our own space when needed, I'm okay with it." Kendra said, trying to make eye contact with Ray, but he was looking over at Jax.

"What about you Jax?" Ray asked.

"I've been away from home so long that I think I should stay at my mom's house, but like with Grey, if we get back from a mission late, I'll stay with y'all." Jax said.

"I just have one concern." Leonard commented.

"You don't want to continue to live in one place with all of us?" Ray guessed.

"No... the apartment that I used to use, my sister is currently using it, and I want to get her out of there. If Lisa can come live with us, then I'm in." Leonard said.

"I have no problem with that." Ray said with a shrug.

"As long as she doesn't end up turning on us like Mick did, I wouldn't mind having another girl around." Kendra commented.

"Lisa isn't as much of a criminal as Rory and Snart." Barry commented.

"Lisa isn't a criminal, period." Leonard snapped.

"Right, she just helped you kidnap me and my brother." Cisco commented dryly.

"Yet despite that, you all still saved her from Lewis blowing her head up." Leonard quipped.

"We weren't going to let him kill the only thing that was good in your life." Caitlin said. "At least, at the time she was the only thing that was good in your life." She added quickly with a smile at Sara.

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the team seems to be in agreement that it's okay if Lisa stays with us, so I'm in. But, about tonight..." Leonard said as he pulled Sara close.

"No way. Not happening. It was fine on the Waverider where the walls were sound proof, but the walls at my apartment, and the walls at Felicity's place, are not." Ray said quickly.

"It's okay Len, we can spend one night apart. We'll just make sure that our room is the furthest from everyone else's once we find a place." Sara said with a wicked smile.

"You might want to hold off on any strenuous physical activity for a while." Caitlin commented.

"Why would we do that?" Sara asked.

"That wound on Snart's abdomen looks pretty bad." Barry added.

"Crap." Leonard muttered.

"Shouldn't that have already been healed by now?" Jax asked.

"After the initial look over that Gideon gave him after you all got us back, she had to patch it up once more." Sara commented.

"Gideon? Is that, by any chance, an AI?" Barry asked suddenly.

"Yeah, she is. Why, do you know her?" Ray asked.

"Some time in my future, I create Gideon." Barry commented.

"Imposter Dr. Wells had a secret room here at STAR Labs that housed all of the stuff that he had with him from the future. Gideon is part of the room. We can show you if you would like us to." Cisco offered.

"NO!" A collective 7 voices yelled.

"Okay, geez... it was an offer. There's no need to get all riled up about it." Cisco said as he held his arms up in surrender.

"Sorry Cisco, but Gideon was the one who ran the Waverider, we can't risk her seeing us here and telling Rip that we aren't going back." Kendra replied.

"Don't worry. We won't say anything to Gideon if we go in there." Caitlin said with sincerity.

"We should probably head out." Sara commented.

"Not before I look at the wound. Plus, you should all stay for dinner tonight. We could order in." Caitlin offered as she walked towards Sara and Leonard with purpose.

A look of uncertainty crossed Leonard's face as Caitlin motioned for him to lift his shirt up. Before doing anything that Caitlin was asking him to do, Leonard looked at Sara. It was one thing for an AI, who was in no way actually present, to access the damage that Savage had inflicted on his abdomen, but for a real life, female doctor, whom he had kidnapped previously, to be insisting on making sure he was mended properly, that was another thing all together. Leonard wasn't sure if wanted a woman who wasn't Sara or Lisa to see him in such a vulnerable state. When Sara nodded that it was okay, Leonard lifted his shirt to show the ugly red mark that stood out against his pale skin.

"Who did this to you Snart?" Caitlin asked.

"Vandal Savage." Leonard snarled. "After torturing Sara to get me to give him information on hat Rip Hunter had planned." He added.

"This isn't a normal stab wound." Caitlin commented.

"From the quick glance that I got of the knife, it looked like the same on he used to kill Kendra and Carter, in their first life." Leonard said.

"Please tell me you're kidding?" Sara asked hopefully.

"I wish I was, but remember, Raymond and I saw the knife the night Savage killed Carter, I'm pretty sure it's the same one." Leonard said as reached out to her when Sara's face fell in horror.

"Caitlin, please tell me that the knife isn't the reason this isn't healing." Sara begged.

"I'll have to run a few tests, but from what we learned when we teamed up with Team Arrow to help Carter and Kendra defeat Savage, it was the properties of the meteorites in the meteor shower that had been happening the night of their first death was what connects the three of them with the knife and the staff. Since there hasn't been a meteorite shower recently, there's very little chance that there's anything wrong." Caitlin replied.

"He wasn't stabbed in this time Caitlin. He was stabbed 60 years in the past." Sara said as tears filled her eyes.

"To you, how long ago were you stabbed Snart?" Barry asked.

"Almost a week ago. Maybe 5 days." Leonard said with a shrug.

"And where were you? Geographically speaking?" Caitlin asked.

"West Coast, California." Leonard replied.

"Give us a little bit of time; we need to do a little bit of research to see if there was any meteorite activity around that time in that area. We will figure this out Snart, I promise." Barry said as he went over to Caitlin and helped her start typing things into the computers. "Oh, Ray, can I have my phone back please?" He asked looking over his shoulder.

"Oh, right, thanks." Ray said as he handed it back.

"How are we going to keep in contact with each other if there's a day where we are all doing our own thing?" Carter asked.

"I can buy us all new cell phones." Ray offered.

"You aren't going to financially back this team by yourself Ray." Sara commented.

"Well, at least to get us on our feet, then." Ray said.

"I guess that works..." Sara trailed off.

"Um, are we all going to have to get actual paying jobs now?" Jax asked.

"I'm sure Felicity could find someone thing for at least a few of you at Palmer Tech." Ray offered.

"Really Raymond? Offering your own company as employment?" Leonard asked.

"Snart, your best bet would be to try and find something in Star City. You're less known there than you are here." Barry commented not even looking over his shoulder at the older man.

"What's the supposed to mean?" Leonard snapped.

"Just because I deleted all records of you ever existing doesn't mean that people in Central City don't know who you are. Most of the city knows that you're Captain Cold." Barry replied as Leonard stepped towards him threateningly.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. I'm sure Barry didn't mean it as an insult. Right Barry?" Sara said placing a hand on Leonard's arm before sending a narrowing stare at the speedster.

"Right, I'm just trying to help. Trying to give you the best chance of being able to financially support your relationship." Barry said awkwardly gesturing between Leonard and Sara.

"You don't think that that I could support our relationship?" Sara challenged.

"I didn't say that!" Barry said quickly.

"Barry, while I'm sure Sara and Snart are thankful for your input, maybe you should let them figure those kinds of things out for themselves." Caitlin commented as she quickly stood up and placed herself between Sara and Barry, facing Barry.

"You're right Caity." Barry said with a smile at her.

"Barry, while Caitlin looks into the meteorite activity, can I talk to you really quick?" Ray asked

"Sure." Barry said with a nod.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Ray was feeling overwhelmed. Not only had talking to Felicity help him to calm down from the whole situation with Kendra and Carter, but it had opened him up to a second chance with being with Felicity. She had explained everything that had gone down between her and Oliver, with Oliver having a son that he hadn't told her about and her calling off the engagement. But he wanted to get Barry's perspective on the situation before he went and told Felicity that he had been burying his feelings for her in an attempt to be happy that she was happy with Oliver.

"What's up Ray?" Barry asked.

"Do you know what's going on between Oliver and Felicity?" Ray asked, there was no point in beating around the bush.

"Yeah, I do. I hated having to keep a secret from her." Barry said looking down at the ground.

"Wait, you knew about Oliver's son?" Ray asked.

"There have been 2 times that I've time traveled, nothing close to what all of you have been doing, but there have been disasters that I was able to run away from fast enough that I time traveled. The second time that happened, Oliver had asked me to do a paternity test for him. Felicity found me at my lab at CCPD and demanded that I give her the test results. She knew immediately what it was. That same night Kendra, Carter, Oliver, Thea, Diggle, Laurel, everyone was destroyed by Savage, I ran fast enough to go back in time. We did things over and won, which is why it's okay for Kendra and Carter to be here without having to worry about Savage for the time being. But before Oliver could ask me to run the test, I told him the consequences of the previous time, and Felicity didn't find out. At least not until Damien Dahrk had Oliver's son kidnapped and taunted Oliver with that information in front of Felicity. After she called off the engagement, she came and stayed with Caity and I for a few days." Barry explained.

"You and Caity, huh? So there's a 'you and Caitlin' now?" Ray asked jokingly.

"It's still new. She's still trying to get over Jay's death, and I'm still getting over Patty leaving, but we're working through things together, testing the waters a bit." Barry said with a smile.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think you two make a great couple." Ray said.

"Ray, you don't need anyone else's opinion in following your heart." Barry said, the previous smile on his face replaced by a slight frown. "There's no way that Felicity's feelings for you went away as fast as she and Oliver wanted everyone to think." He added. "Besides, we all thought you were dead shortly after Felicity left you for Oliver, maybe she buried her feelings for you the same way she buried her feelings for Oliver when she thought he was dead." He suggested.

"So you're saying that I should just risk my friendship with both Felicity and Oliver and just tell Felicity how I feel and see what happens?" Ray asked skeptically.

"Isn't that the real reason you wanted to talk to me away from everyone else? To see what I would think about you telling Felicity how you feel?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you would practically read my mind. You have super speed, not telepathic abilities... wait, you don't have telepathic abilities, do you?" Ray asked quickly.

"No Ray, I'm not telepathic. I'm just observant when it comes to others around me... just as long as those people aren't needing to be observed in direct relation to me." Barry said with a smirk.

"Thanks Barry." Ray said.

"No problem." Barry replied as they made their way back to the main room.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Ray wasn't the only one that was having a difficult time being around Kendra and Carter. Ever since Kendra had first come in with Professor Stein and Jax, and had asked about locating Carter, Cisco had stayed as far away from the couple as he could. He still didn't like Carter. He still thought Carter was a chauvinistic pig. He still thought that Carter just didn't want to give other women a chance because of his stupid destiny to be with Kendra. Cisco had thought that he had Kendra could have been something great if Carter hadn't shown up. Or even if Savage hadn't shown up. He still did think that they could have something, but instead, Kendra was standing as close to Carter as she could, actually welcoming his touch, whereas Cisco was staying occupied on the other side of the room, talking to Professor Stein and Jax about everything they had been through in the last few months, and occasionally sending half-longing glances in Kendra's direction.

It wasn't until Ray and Barry had stepped out of the room, and Carter had momentarily excused himself to make some calls regarding selling their, a word that Cisco hated even thinking in relation to Kendra and Carter, apartment that Cisco had excused himself from Professor Stein and Jax's presence to go over and talk to Kendra. The greeting personal greeting that awaited him was not the one that Cisco was expecting, or even wanting for that matter. Kendra seemed distant.

"Cisco." Kendra said.

"Can we talk?" Cisco asked, trying to not show how hurt he was by her reaction.

"What about?" Kendra asked.

"About what happened. We had just started getting to know each other, and it seemed to be going great, and then a 4000-year-old immortal, and your winged lover show up, and suddenly, you want nothing to do with me." Cisco said, trying as hard as he could not to completely blow up at Kendra.

"I needed to be with Carter to start to understand my powers. I didn't want to put you through a relationship where I would constantly be flashing back to my previous lives and have neither of us understand what any of it means." Kendra replied as calmly as she could despite her voice wavering.

"Then you left for four months without so much as a single word to let me know that you were going even further away." Cisco added.

"Rip recruited us to help him fight Savage." Kendra said getting defensive.

"Still, a quick message to let me know that that's what was happening would have been great." Cisco replied bitterly.

"Cisco, you're a great guy, but we had barely started dating when Savage and Carter showed up. I don't owe you any kind of explanations for anything." Kendra said as her hands clenched into fists.

"I told you before you left with Carter that I'm a meta, that I can Vibe certain things. Did it occur to you that maybe, as I learned how to control my power, that I could then help you understand yours?" Cisco asked.

"You didn't want to tell me about your power Cisco. You were wanting to keep it from me. So honestly, I wasn't even sure if you were wanting to learn how to use your powers." Kendra replied.

"Well, just so you know, I have learned how to control my powers, and if you had even given me a chance, I would have offered to help you since you didn't seem to be all that open to however Carter was trying to help you." Cisco said walking away before he could say or do something that he would regret.

"Come on Cisco, can't you at least try and see this from my side?" Kendra called after him.

"I tried to Kendra. Right after you and Carter left for St. Roch. But I couldn't fathom any scenario where you would be that open to his help over mine. So I stopped trying to figure out what had been going on in your head. I focused on helping my best friend try to defeat Zoom. We went to a different world where Barry was kidnapped by Zoom. We had to watch yet another friend of ours be killed knowing that there was nothing we could do at the time. And during all of that, where were you? Oh, right, you were on a time ship trying to defeat a man who has killed you many times over. Where is the logic in that?" Cisco asked.

"Cisco..." Kendra tried.

"No Kendra, I'm done. I'm glad that you're safe and all, but if you are going to give into your "destiny" and be with Carter instead of trying to be with someone else, then there's nothing more that you can say or do to change my mind on this." Cisco said before fully walking out of the room just as Ray and Barry walked back in, followed shortly by Carter.

"Is everything okay?" Carter asked, instantly going to Kendra's side.

"Cisco just... well, I think he just broke up with me..." Kendra said slowly, as if trying to figure out if that was really what just happened.

"You weren't dating Cisco." Ray commented.

"I had been. Briefly, before Savage showed up and Carter came back into my life." Kendra replied.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

As they waited for Caitlin to be done researching meteorite activity, and running tests on Leonard's stab wound, Leonard and Sara sat close to each other and talked about random things. They were unintentionally avoiding the topic of her family, but to Caitlin, it seemed like they were intentionally avoiding the topic of Sara's family. Not that it was really any of Caitlin's business to even have thoughts about the couple's conversation, let alone want to comment on their conversation. But, soon enough, she had some preliminary results for them, so she had no choice but to interrupt.

"So I have good news. And bad news." Caitlin said.

"What's the bad news?" Sara asked slowly, fear coming through her tough exterior.

"There can be no overly strenuous physical activity Snart." Caitlin said. "Which leads us to the good news. There was no meteorite activity around the time that you said you were in, so it's just the physical activity that is delaying the healing process." She added with a bright yet shy smile.

"Oh thank you." Leonard muttered as he nodded his thanks to Caitlin before pulling Sara onto his lap. "Practice will have to wait until this heals properly My Canary." He whispered into Sara's ear.

"That's fine with me. It wouldn't do either of us any good for me to get pregnant and you not be in tip-top shape to help me do basic things as I get bigger." Sara whispered back.

"Glad we're in agreement then." Leonard said as he placed a light kiss on her lips.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Felicity stood on the elevator on the way down to the newest Arrow Cave. Talking to Ray again after not seeing him in 4 months had dug up some old feelings and she needed to work those feelings out. The only place she could think to do that was in the workout area of the Arrow Cave. Of course, that also happened to be the same place that Oliver tended to go to think. So when Felicity reached her destination, she stopped short when she saw Oliver there, hitting a punching bag.

"Felicity." Oliver acknowledged.

"Oliver." Felicity replied as she placed her bag down with a sigh.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.

"I need to beat something up to clear my head." Felicity said.

"Anything that I could help with?" Oliver offered.

"Not if you want to really hear what is going on in my head involving me and Ray." Felicity countered.

"Ray's on a time traveling mission through time, what could possibly be going on in your head that has to do with him?" Oliver asked.

"He's back. They all are. Except for someone named Mick Rory, I think Cisco calls him Heat Wave." Felicity replied.

"They're back?" Oliver asked finally turning to look at her.

"Did you suddenly lose your hearing? Do you just have selective hearing? That's what I just said Oliver." Felicity snapped.

"You still have feelings for Ray." Oliver stated.

"I never stopped having feelings for Ray. Just like I never stopped having feelings for you. The only difference is that Ray has never lied to me." Felicity replied.

"Felicity..." Oliver started.

"No Oliver, you have lied to me so many times that I hate _myself_ for thinking that you could change. I've never felt like that with Ray." Felicity cut him off. "I still _love_ Ray." She finished.


	10. Chapter 10: Not One of Us

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 10: Not One of Us

 **TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM INFLICTED DURING BLOODLUST INDUCED HAZE.**

The team having dinner with Barry and Caitlin had actually been fun. Not that Leonard would readily admit that to either of them. He wasn't even willing to readily admit it to Sara. But after that, once they all went their own ways, Barry and Caitlin to their apartment, and the team on their way to Star City, Leonard couldn't keep it from Sara anymore. He was, after all, changing for the better. And it wasn't like she wasn't attuned to him enough to know that he enjoyed being accepted as more than just an enemy.

"Tonight was fun." Leonard commented off-handedly.

"It was. It's been a really long time since I've done something like that." Sara agreed.

"What, had dinner with a criminal? Because I recall a night not too long ago that you had a dinner date with one." Leonard commented sarcastically with a smirk.

"Oh, I have no problem having dinner with a criminal, as long as that criminal is you." Sara said with a smile as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "But seriously, I'm talking about just having a relaxing evening with friends. A carefree environment where everyone was enjoying themselves." She elaborated.

"Ah, yes, we didn't exactly have too many of those on a time ship." Leonard replied with a nod.

"But at least we don't have to worry about that anymore, right?" Sara asked.

"No we don't; we're staying right here in 2016 and living out our lives together; right where we should be." Leonard agreed.

"You know, even though the team is going to be looking for a place to use as our headquarters, you and I should, at some point, start looking for our own place." Sara said, looking down.

"And we will. We will eventually find the house that our family can call home, and we will move in. Our future children will have a front and backyard that they can run around and play in, and there will be a white picket fence and everything." Leonard said with a smile.

"We could always add the fence ourselves. I'm sure between the two of us we could figure something like that out." Sara commented.

"Probably. I am quite good with my hands." Leonard replied, his usual sarcasm back after having slipped away momentarily.

"You'll have to prove that to me later." Sara said with a wink.

"I plan to." Leonard said.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

By the time that Sara and Kendra were dropped off at Felicity's, and Carter, Leonard and Ray reached Ray's apartment, everyone was exhausted. It had been a long day for everyone and they were ready to get some sleep. Of course, that didn't stop the girls, who were joined by Laurel and Thea, from staying up even later and talking. For Sara and Kendra, their day had started off in 1958, and now they were ending it back in 2016. They had started off the day with the intention of just getting Carter and then heading back to a twisted life on the run through time with a lying and self-absorbed Time Master as their captain. Now they were planning on staying in their own time, letting said Time Master deal with his vendetta on his own. Other than that, the topic soon turned to relationships, to which both Sara and Kendra grew embarrassed, and both looked away. Seeing her sister blush made Laurel excited and eager to hear about whom Sara had fallen for. Needless to say, when Sara told Laurel, Felicity and Thea who her boyfriend was, Laurel was not happy about it.

"Are you crazy Sara? A criminal? Someone who has actually been in jail for a lot of different things?" Laurel asked.

"He's trying to turn over a new leaf Laur. Just meet him." Sara pleaded.

"And I thought your relationship with Nyssa was in poor judgement." Laurel commented.

"Are you judging me on my sexual preference!?" Sara exclaimed.

"No, just your lovers' professions. A trained assassin and a criminal?" Laurel replied.

"Need I remind you Laurel, that _I_ am a trained assassin? And I'm sorry, but are your choices any better? Oliver when he was at the top of his playboy hype, and then his best friend?" Sara snapped.

"Oh don't even pull the Oliver card with me. You dated him too. While he was dating me, mind you." Laurel replied.

"And then you even cheated on Tommy with Oliver! And you have the nerve to question who I date! I loved Nyssa, and I love Leonard. I'm sorry if neither of them are who you would have chosen for me, but that's just it Laur. You _don't_ get to choice who I date." Sara said.

"Can you two stop, please? I really don't want to hear any more about either of you dating my brothers." Thea jumped in.

"Wait, this Tommy guy is your brother too?" Kendra asked.

"Was. Our father tried to level the Glades, and Tommy ended up dying because of it. He was there to save Laurel actually." Thea replied glancing at Laurel.

"Wow, and I thought my life was screwed up." Kendra commented.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. We are all going to agree that our love lives, or lives in general, are screwed up, and then we're going to stop talking about it. This is supposed to be a fun girls' night, remember?" Felicity said.

"I'm sorry Felicity, but I need to go." Laurel said before grabbing her stuff and heading towards the door.

"Typical. Things don't go your way and you run away. Off to drown your sorrows in alcohol again?" Sara taunted.

"Excuse me?" Laurel asked rounding on Sara.

"You heard me. You are so much like Daddy that you even run away like he does when he's mad. Running off to get so wasted that you don't even know what you did." Sara replied, her arms folded across her chest and staring her sister down.

"Speaking of Daddy, are you going to tell him about you being back, or am I going to have to keep it a secret again? And better yet, when he does eventually find out that you're back, are you actually going to tell him that you're dating someone who he would likely end up having to arrest, or is that going to be on me too?" Laurel asked.

The resounding slap stunned everyone in the room. Since Sara's return, she and Laurel had been on pretty good terms. At least, since Constantine had brought Sara's soul back with Oliver and Laurel's help they had been on good terms. But that didn't mean that every negative thing Sara felt towards Laurel from before her death wasn't still there. She might have been killed and then brought back, but that didn't mean that she was going to let bygones be bygones. She had so much that she hated Laurel for that she might as well get it all out now.

"Sara!"

The voice sounded far away and Sara barely registered it. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was Kendra, but all she could see was red. Her bloodlust was rising. This wasn't good. If she couldn't get it under control, Thea would get hurt, again. Sara slowly started to back away from the others. She needed to get a grip on herself. But it wasn't working. Her eyes went from Laurel to Thea and narrowed. The bloodlust needed to be stopped. And that could only happen if she killed Thea. Reaching into her belt, Sara withdrew a knife and glared at Thea, the bitch was about to die.

"Get Thea out of here!"

The voice was low and Sara didn't even recognize that it was her own voice saying the words. It was the last thing that she could say or do before the monster within finally took control. Even through the red haze, Sara saw Laurel and Felicity pull Thea out of the room, and out of the apartment. Now it was just Sara and Kendra. Trained assassin versus reincarnated winged-goddess. This was match that they had had before in training and Sara had nearly choked Kendra to death. But that was behind them. Kendra was going to face Sara. She was every bit the hero that Carter constantly told her she was. She was willing to place herself in harm's way to not only stop Sara, but to help save Thea. Sara hated her for that. She needed to die too.

"Sara, listen to me. This isn't you. You are a good person. You have an amazing guy in your life, no matter what your sister thinks. Leonard loves you. We can see it. Me, Carter, Professor Stein, Jax, Ray; we all see it, and we are all so happy that you two have each other. You have to snap out of this. I know you don't want to hurt me. You don't want to hurt Thea. Put the knife down." Kendra said, only to get a growl in reply from Sara.

"You know nothing about me!" Sara snapped.

"I do know you Sara." Kendra replied. "I know that you would do anything to help your friends when they are in trouble. I know that you are scared of what will happen if you let the bloodlust completely take control. I know that you want to have a life with Leonard. I know that you are hurting for him about Mick leaving. I know that you are not the monster that you think you are. I know that you _are_ a good person. Just snap out of it Sara." Kendra said.

Everything after that happened in a blur. The knife dropped from Sara's hand as she lowered her arm to her side and fell to her knees. The bloodlust was subsiding, which was odd given that she hadn't killed anyone. It wasn't until the red haze was gone that Sara realized why her bloodlust was subsiding. She, thankfully, hadn't hurt Kendra, and, even more thankfully, she hadn't hurt Thea either, but she hadn't gotten through her bloodlust injury free. She had stabbed herself in the abdomen, roughly in the same spot that Savage had stabbed Leonard. Sara looked over at Kendra and saw the look of horror on her friend's face. Kendra had been willing to get hurt if it meant Thea was safe, but she hadn't been prepared for Sara to inflict pain on herself.

"Someone call 911!" Kendra called as she hurried to Sara's side and applied pressure to the wound to slow the bleeding.

"What happened?" Thea asked as the others came rushing back into the apartment.

"She stabbed herself instead of hurting me." Kendra said through tears. She had lost Carter to a stab wound, and she was close to losing Sara now.

"An ambulance won't get here fast enough to get Sara to the hospital in time. We have to get her to the Arrow Cave. We have everything we need to fix her up there." Felicity said.

"Is there anyone that could meet us there?" Laurel asked.

"My com is in my bag Laurel, use it to get a hold of the guys. They're at Ray's apartment." Kendra said, trying her hardest to control her emotions.

"Laur..." Sara said weakly.

"Sara! Why would you do this? I already lost you twice, I can't lose you a third time." Laurel said as tears streamed down her eyes.

"I'm sorry Laurel." Sara replied.

"What is going on here!?"

The voice startled Felicity, Laurel and Thea, causing Laurel and Thea to jump into defensive positions, but Kendra just looked over her shoulder and smiled in relief. Carter, Ray and Leonard were there. Leonard didn't even wait for an answer when he saw his Canary lying on the floor, her head on Kendra's lap, blood oozing out around Kendra's fingers. He took 3 long strides before he was at Kendra and Sara's side, taking Kendra's spot for Sara's head to rest on his lap.

"What happened Kendra?" He asked.

"She got into an argument with Laurel, then things escalated. Her bloodlust was rising quickly, she had barely enough control to tell us to get Thea out of here, but I stayed to try and talk her down. She stabbed herself to stop the bloodlust from making her hurt me." Kendra replied as she continued to apply pressure to the wound.

"Ray, do something." Felicity begged snapping the tech billionaire to jump into action.

"Do you have anything any gauze and rubbing alcohol Felicity?" Ray asked as he hurried to Sara's side and ripped her shirt away from the wound.

"Yes." Felicity replied as she hurried to grab the items Ray requested.

"I am also going to need a needle, thread and a lighter." Ray said.

"Coming up." Thea replied.

"How did you all get here so fast?" Kendra asked looking from Leonard to Ray and then to Carter.

"Snart was sulking. We were already on our way over to see if you all wanted to watch a movie or something." Carter replied.

"Where did all of those bruises come from?" Laurel shrieked as she turned a glare towards Leonard.

"She got those from Savage beating her to get information from me. I wish it could have gone the other way, but I screwed up and got her hurt." Leonard replied, ignoring the glare and staring at Sara.

"You need to leave." Laurel snapped.

"I'm not leaving the woman that I love. She didn't leave when I was stabbed, so why the hell would I leave when she gets stabbed?" Leonard snapped back finally looking up at Laurel.

"You know that my father is a police captain and that I'm a lawyer, right? I could have you arrested." Laurel threatened.

"For what? Loving your sister? That would never hold up in court _Black Canary_. Besides, as much as your sister loves you, I doubt she would forgive you if you had me arrested." Leonard said, completely unfazed by the threat.

"For trespassing." Laurel replied.

"With that reasoning, you would have to arrest Carter and Raymond as well. Not to mention the fact that this isn't your apartment, is it? Felicity would have to want us arrested for trespassing, and I don't think she wants to have any of us thrown in jail for trying to help your sister." Leonard said.

"Laurel, just stop. Your sister is bleeding out, and you're really picking a fight with someone who uses a cold gun? Just sterilize the needle so that Ray can stitch this wound closed." Thea said.

"Fine." Laurel grumbled.

It didn't go unnoticed by Leonard that Laurel kept sending glares his way. It was like she blamed him for Sara stabbing herself. She probably did. And just because he had a record. One that Barry had erased for him a while back in exchange for Leonard's help. And while his White Canary had given him a chance, Black Canary did not seem like she was willing to do the same. Plus, if what Kendra said was true, that Sara had been arguing with Laurel prior to stabbing herself, then between the two of them, Laurel was more to blame for Sara's current situation than he was. Yes, Leonard took full responsibility for the bruises and cuts that had been inflicted by Savage, but he was in no way responsible for this.

Even with all the bad blood that seemed to be going on between Leonard and Laurel, Ray was completely focused and was able to clean the wound and stitch it closed in record time. Luckily, since it was self-inflicted, and not done with a lot of force, the wound itself wasn't all that deep, nor was it severe. If anything, Sara would have some uncomfortableness while it healed, but no permanent damage was done. Once the gauze was covering the stitches, and Leonard and Ray had gotten Sara, who had fallen unconscious due to the blood loss, to the couch, everyone turned their attention to Laurel and Leonard.

"I want you to leave." Laurel said.

"Laurel, why are you being so adamant about Leonard leaving?" Ray asked.

"He doesn't deserve my sister." Laurel replied.

"I don't deserve to be loved by someone that I love? That's harsh." Leonard commented.

"Laurel, is it because you don't think he deserves Sara, or because he's a former criminal?" Kendra asked.

"Former? You think that 4 months on a time ship can reform someone who has been in and out of jail since he was 14?" Laurel asked.

"He's trying to be a better person... for YOUR sister! Why can't that, plus mine and Ray's testimony to the fact that he's changed, be enough?" Kendra asked.

"Just yours and Ray's? What about Carter?" Laurel asked, avoiding the question.

"Carter was killed a week, if that, into the whole mission. We just got him back today. That was the main reason we came back to 2016, to get Carter." Kendra replied.

"What about the others? Weren't Professor Stein and Jax there too?" Laurel asked.

"Yes, they were, and they'll agree with Ray and I, and Sara, that Leonard has changed." Kendra bit back.

"I'm sorry Kendra, but I just can't see someone who has lived more of his life on the wrong side of the law changing that quickly, even if they were changing for someone that they think they love." Laurel said after a couple of minutes.

"What makes you think that I'm not sure if I love Sara?" Leonard asked.

"You've known her for what, four months? How _can_ you be sure that you actually love her?" Laurel asked back.

"The same way that Sara's sure she loves me. We just know. It changes from couple to couple on how long it takes them to fall in love with someone." Leonard replied.

"You might have your "teammates" fooled, you might even have Sara fooled, but you don't fool me for a second. You will never be a hero." Laurel said before turning towards the door and motioning for Thea to come with her.

"You're right, I'm not a hero. I'm a man whose father abused him as a child and turned him into another criminal. And believe it or not, I have changed. Hell, I'm still changing. But I'm changing for your sister. And not because she asked me to, or expected me to, but because I wanted to change for her. I know that it won't happen right away, but if you could at least consider giving me a chance, for Sara's sake, I know it would make her happy." Leonard said causing Laurel to stop and turn around to stare at him.

"Not likely." Laurel said with finality before making her exit with Thea.

Leonard didn't want to admit that this woman that he barely knew, the woman that was his Canary's sister, had hurt him. She didn't know him. She didn't understand him. She saw him a criminal and nothing else. She couldn't even try to look beyond his past to see what her own flesh and blood saw in him. What her own flesh and blood loved about him. But that was just Laurel. Sara's father would be worse of the two. And Sara hadn't even been able to stand up to Laurel on his behalf. Because of Sara's argument with Laurel, she had stabbed herself, forcing Ray and Kendra to stand up for him, and while he appreciated what his friends had done on his behalf, he wished that Sara could have been awake to do it. Unless...

"Kendra, what was the argument about?" Leonard asked.

"Laurel's judgement on the people that Sara has been in relationships with. Mostly it was about you and who you used to be, and what you use to do." Kendra said looking down.

"Don't think about what Laurel thinks of you. Her opinion doesn't matter, Sara's does. And if Sara can see the man that you are becoming, that's good enough for me. And let me be honest, I will be wary for a little bit, but I'm sure with time I'll see the man that has stood by Sara and Ray's sides, having their backs while they have his." Felicity said with a gracious smile.

"Thank you Felicity. I can see what Raymond and Barry see in you." Leonard said before turning his attention back to Sara.

"You should all just stay here tonight. With all of this, I'm sure you're all even more exhausted than you were before, and none of you should be driving like this." Felicity offered.

"Where would we all stay?" Carter asked.

"Well, I do have 2 guest rooms, you, Kendra and Ray can discuss amongst yourselves who sleeps where. And I'm sure Leonard would prefer to stay out here with Sara." Felicity asked to which Leonard simply nodded while keeping his eyes trained on Sara's sleeping form.

"Felicity, can we talk?" Ray asked.

"Of course." Felicity said as she led him down the hall.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

"Laurel, what is your problem? You despise anyone that Sara dates, why is that?" Thea questioned as they reached the lobby of Felicity's apartment building and walked out to Laurel's car.

"I don't know Thea. Maybe it's just another thing that I inherited from my father other than his alcohol abuse." Laurel said with a shrug.

"You do realize that if you keep doing that, you'll lose her again, right?" Thea asked.

"I know, but she's my baby sister. I'm supposed to protect her, but I feel like I failed to do that. I lost her for 5 years because she had been dating Ollie behind my back, and then your father had you kill her, and I lost her for another year. I guess I'm just trying to make up for lost time with being the protective big sister that I've gone overboard and become an _over_ protective big sister." Laurel said with a sigh.

"Do you need to punch something?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I do." Laurel said with a nod as she started to drive to the Arrow Cave.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

"What do you want to do about the sleeping arrangements?" Carter asked.

"I guess it depends on the outcome of whatever Ray and Felicity are talking about. If Ray ends up sleeping with Felicity, then we could each have a guest room, but if Ray doesn't end up sleeping with her, and he needs a room to himself, I wouldn't mind sharing. I mean, we shared a room briefly before Rip recruited us, and we shared one for a few nights on the Waverider..." Kendra trailed off from there.

"What are you more comfortable with doing?" Carter asked.

"I don't know Carter. My thoughts didn't go any further than getting you back." Kendra admitted.

"How about this, we go pick a room, you can sleep on the bed, and if you would like me to sleep with you, I'll sleep with you, but if you don't want me to, I'll sleep on the floor, how's that?" Carter suggested.

"That works." Kendra said with a nod.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Once Felicity reached her room, she held the door open for Ray until she closed it behind him and turned to face him. The look in his eyes was one that she couldn't quite read. Had it really been that long since they had been alone together that despite what she had told Oliver earlier that evening, she couldn't read Ray anymore? One thing that hadn't been mentioned when all of the girls had been talking about earlier was Ray's brief attempt at a relationship with Kendra. Both Felicity and Kendra could feel the awkwardness that would have stemmed from that topic of conversation even before the awkwardness of Sara and Laurel's fight. But now Felicity was wishing that they had talked about it. Maybe then she would have been able to read what Ray was feeling right now. Not that she needed to read what he was feeling because after a moment of staring at each other, Ray pulled Felicity into him and pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss.

It was like all of the tension that Ray had been feeling regarding the way that Rip was acting since Sara and Leonard had been taken melted away when his lips met Felicity's. A huge sigh of relief was released into the kiss by both of them that they had to break apart to laugh. They were what the other had been missing for so long, not even realizing that they were missing each other, that being back together was a weight off of both of their shoulders. Wrapping here arms around Ray's waist, Felicity leaned into Ray's chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"What did you want to talk about?" Felicity asked as Ray wrapped his arms around her body.

"Despite everything that has happened since we dated, I never stopped loving you Felicity. When you left me for Oliver, I just tried to be happy for you. And I'll understand if you aren't quite ready to get back into a relationship with me, but I really would like another chance to make you happy." Ray said.

"I never stopped loving you either Ray. You've never lied to me like Oliver has. Everything about him is surrounded in lies that he could never trust me enough to tell me the truth. I started to hate myself for thinking he had changed. You've never made me feel that way." Felicity admitted.

"What are you saying?" Ray asked.

"If you're really ready to try a relationship with me again, despite what I did to you, then I'm ready to try again as well." Felicity said as she pulled away to look up at him.

"I'm definitely ready. I love you Felicity Smoak." Ray said.

"I love you too Raymond Palmer." Felicity replied before leading him towards the bed.


	11. Chapter 11: Daddy Dearest

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 11: Daddy Dearest

Sara woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar place and quickly sat up only to yelp in pain at the sudden movement. Clutching her abdomen, Sara cried out in more pain. What had happened? Who had done this? The first thought was that it had been Savage's doing, that he had found her and stabbed her too. But as the pain slowly subsided, Sara realized that she wasn't alone in this unfamiliar place. Leonard was next to her, rubbing her back to help ease the pain. When the pain disappeared completely, Sara noticed that Felicity, Ray, Kendra and Carter where there too, all of them with similar looks of concern on their faces.

"What happened last night?" Sara asked as she moved her hand away from her abdomen and clutched Leonard's hand instead.

"Your bloodlust rose. You ended up stabbing yourself to prevent you from hurting me, or Thea." Kendra said slowly.

"Thea's okay?" Sara asked completely surprised that she hadn't killed Thea in her bloodlust induced rage.

"Before it could completely consume your mind, you said to get Thea out of here. You didn't want to hurt anyone Sara." Felicity said as she came over and sat next to Sara.

"Thank you." Sara replied.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Felicity asked with a smile.

"We weren't always friends." Sara reminded her.

"No, I used to be jealous of you, of your connection to Oliver, of all the scars that you had. I remember trying to feel included when you, Oliver and John were talking about scars and I piped up that I had a scar in my mouth." Felicity said fondly. "You called me cute." She added.

"You are cute Felicity." Sara said before leaning against Leonard's side.

"What am I?" Leonard whispered into her ear.

"You are very handsome, Crook." Sara said leaning back so that she could place a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Do you remember anything about last night?" Carter asked.

"Not really, no. I vaguely remember you guys dropping Kendra and I off, but after that, it's a blur, at least until the bloodlust hit, then it's completely blank." Sara admitted.

"Is that a usual side effect from your bloodlust?" Ray asked.

"It depends on how bad it gets before I get control back." Sara replied.

"Well, we should get some food you." Felicity said as she stood up.

"Where's Laurel?" Sara asked and Felicity stopped. "Where is my sister Felicity?" Sara asked again when no one answered.

"From the time the guys got here, just in the nick of time mind you, Laurel was demanding that Leonard leave. She said that he doesn't deserve you. Not even Kendra and Ray saying that he's changed for you was enough for her to stay to make sure you were okay." Felicity admitted.

"What kick-started my haze?" Sara asked.

"Laurel was telling you that you had made poor choices in who you dated." Kendra said.

Sara immediately turned to look at Leonard. She wanted to make sure that he knew how much she didn't agree with her sister. Leonard's eyes, while hardened due to the previous night's topic back up, were not hardened enough to hide the pain that was behind them. Leonard feared that after hearing what Laurel had said about him, Sara would start to see him through her sister's eyes. He thought that losing her to death was bad, but to lose her because she no longer believed that he was good enough for her, that felt worse.

"Laurel is wrong. She doesn't understand our connect because she wasn't there to see it develop. Never let what she says change the way that you think I'll see you. I love you Leonard." Sara insisted as she took his face in her hands and leaned in for a kiss.

"I love you too Sara." Leonard replied.

"So, now that we're all awake, we should contact Professor Stein and Jax to look for a place." Ray said as he followed Felicity towards the kitchen.

"It's still pretty early Ray, maybe we should give them a little bit to get some more sleep. We have no idea how easy or hard it was for them to fall asleep last night." Kendra pointed out.

"The sun's up, they should be up." Ray replied.

"The sun's _barely_ up, give them an hour." Kendra argued.

"You two argue more than you and I ever have." Carter commented to Kendra.

"Is that a compliment or an insult Carter?" Kendra asked.

"An observation." Carter replied.

"Whatever." Kendra muttered as she took Felicity recently vacated spot next to Sara. "Are you okay? You gave us all a fright with those cries of pain." She asked as she placed a hand on Sara's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I was just disoriented when I didn't recognize where I was. I didn't mean to scare any of you." Sara said with an apologetic smile.

"It's okay Sara, you had a rough night, it's understandable." Leonard replied.

"What does everyone want for breakfast?" Ray asked from the kitchen.

"What does Felicity have to eat for breakfast?" Leonard replied.

"I have cereal." Felicity said meekly, she knew she was never the best cook.

"That works." Sara said with a nod as she went to stand up, only to wobble and almost fall over. "I can see why you had so many issues after you were stabbed." She said to Leonard.

"Yeah, being stabbed in the abdomen effects balance." Leonard said with a grimace.

"You two are going to have one heck of a time trying to look around the places that we go today, are you sure you still want to go today? We can always postpone until tomorrow." Ray offered.

"No, we need to do this today. We can't be idle today. The more we get done in the time that Rip allotted for us to have before he expects us back the better off we'll be when we finally tell him we aren't leaving with him." Sara said as she took a few unsteady steps towards the kitchen, fully aware that both Leonard and Kendra were behind her, and Carter was pretty much in front of her, all of them ready to steady her if she started to stumble.

"What if we all went to look for a place and you take Leonard to meet Captain Lance?" Felicity asked.

"That'll go over well." Leonard commented sarcastically. "He sees his daughter for the first time in 4 months, and not only is she limping because of a stab wound, but she's there to introduce her boyfriend to him who happens to be a still-in-reformation criminal. Captain Lance would give me just as much of a warm welcome as Black Canary did, and Sara would feel horrible." He added.

"Maybe not horrible... just disappointed in my family." Sara conceded.

"Fine, not horrible, just disappointed. Still, I think our time would be better spent helping you lot find a place." Leonard said with a shrug.

"I insist that you two rest." Ray said.

"Ray, you can't force them to stay here if they don't want to." Felicity pointed out as she placed a hand on his arm.

"I can to, I'm Sara's doctor." Ray replied.

"Since when!?" Sara exclaimed before yelping and clutching her side.

"Since last night. When I cleaned your wound, stitched it closed, and put gauze over it." Ray said as he stared her down.

"I didn't consent to you being my doctor." Sara said.

"You couldn't, you were unconscious by the time Leonard, Carter and I got here." Ray replied.

"Did Leonard say it was okay?" Sara asked.

"He didn't stop me when Felicity asked me to do something to help you." Ray said.

"Well, I'm conscious now, and while I thank you for doing what you did, I don't need you to be my doctor Ray." Sara said.

"Someone on our team needs to be the team doctor. We aren't going to be able to have Gideon patch up in the med bay after a mission if we plan on staying here. It might as well be the one person the team who is actually a doctor." Ray argued.

"Why don't you discuss this as a team, once Professor Stein and Jax are here?" Felicity suggested

"Fine." Ray said with a sigh.

The rest of the morning went smoothly, the whole group getting caught up on everything that had happened in the last 4 months. It shocked Sara to find out that Felicity had ended her engagement to Oliver. Honestly, she had thought that they made a cute couple and had always been silently rooting for Oliver to realize just how great of a girl Felicity was, and how much of a good influence she was in his life. Felicity had grounded Oliver in a way that no other girl had been able to do. And to find out that Oliver had a son with a girl that he had cheated on, not only Laurel, but herself with, was infuriating. And that he had kept it a secret from Felicity, that just made Sara want to punch him, extremely hard, and repeatedly. Felicity was too great of a girl for Oliver to have agreed to keep his son a secret from her, even if it was the only way his baby mama would allow him to see his son.

But now, seeing how easily Felicity and Ray worked with each other made Sara start to reevaluate who was good enough for _Felicity_. Oliver was never meant to be the kind of person to settle down. He needed to be grounded, yes, but really settle down and get married, no. Felicity deserved someone who would always put her before themselves. Someone who truly made her happy. And Sara could see Ray being that guy. Yes, Laurel had told her bits and pieces of Ray and Felicity's previous relationship, but had never really gone into depth about it, and Sara could see why. There was a subtle depth to their relationships that no one could really describe. No one needed to describe it. It was simply the way that Ray and Felicity were together. They fit together in a way that Sara hadn't seen with Felicity and Oliver. Were as Felicity and Oliver had been like trying to _force_ two puzzle pieces together, Felicity and Ray fit together seamlessly and perfectly. They were alike, yet different. Almost the yin to each other's yang and so forth.

Glancing over at Leonard, who had one hand resting on her lower back, gently rubbing circles along her spine with his thumb, Sara couldn't help the small smile that graced her face. In this setting, her dream was starting to solidify. She was really starting to be able to see Leonard in a domestic life, and while the fear that he might come to the realization that he wasn't meant to be the domestic type still lingered in the back of her mind, Sara knew that with each passing moment that they spent together, getting to know each other, that was becoming less and less of something that would actually happen. She hadn't been lying when she had said that she thought he would make a great dad since he knew what _not_ to do, because of his own father. Sara knew that Leonard wanted to be a father, deep down, he was just being crippled by the fear of turning out like his father. And that crippling fear caused him to say that he didn't want to have a family, or that he didn't know if he was even meant to be a father. Sara just hoped that as their relationship continued, that he would be able to trust himself more, and that, eventually, he would no longer have those fears.

"What would you name her?"

The question confused Sara immensely. She had been so lost in thought that she had missed an entire portion of the conversation. She had no idea what they were talking about now, and hearing Felicity's word caused her to look around at everyone as they stared expectantly at her, waiting for her response.

"I'm sorry, I completely zoned out." Sara said with an apologetic smile. "What are we talking about?" She asked.

"Kendra and Carter were telling me about their son, and Leonard commented that he would love to have a daughter, so I asked what you would name your her." Felicity explained.

"Oh, um, I hadn't actually given it any thought." Sara admitted as she looked at Leonard.

"I told them about our dream of a family in the future. I assumed that when you said you saw two kids playing in the front yard, that there was a boy and a girl?" Leonard said quickly, and Sara nodded.

"We, uh, had two girls and a boy actually. But yes, the two that were playing in the yard were a boy and girl." Sara admitted, her cheeks burning.

"I actually think that it would be a nice idea to name our future kids after our friends." Leonard said with a half shrug.

"How so? I don't have too many female friends." Sara commented.

"You have just enough. Me, Felicity, Thea and Caitlin." Kendra piped up.

"I'm sure we can think of some beautiful name combinations from those four." Leonard said with a smile.

"Alethea Kendra and Felicity Caitlin?" Sara suggested, glancing briefly at her friends.

"Alethea?" Carter questioned.

"It means 'truthful'." Sara said.

"Alethea Kendra Snart..." Leonard said testing the name out. "I love it." He said.

"And the other one?" Sara asked.

"Felicity Caitlin Snart is just a beautiful." He said with a light kiss.

"What about a boy's name? If you are naming your future children after your friends, you seem to have quite a few more guy friends." Ray commented.

"I have to repay Diggle for naming his daughter after me." Sara said looking at Leonard.

"You want to name our son 'Diggle'?" Leonard asked.

"No, I want to name our son Jonathan. Or, at least have his middle name be Jonathan. Although I don't know if the name Mick Jonathan Snart has that great of a ring to it." Sara replied.

"Cormick Jonathan Snart sounds better to me." Felicity suggested.

"That's perfect." Sara said with a smile, which faltered when Leonard abruptly stood up and walked away from the table.

"What's wrong?" Felicity asked Sara.

"It's Mick... he betrayed Len, after thinking that Len betrayed him." Sara replied as she slowly got up and followed her boyfriend.

There was a small balcony off of Felicity's living room, and that's where Sara found Leonard. His hands were gripping the railing and he was looking down at the street that sat three stories below. Sara's heart broke to see him in such a vulnerable position. Not even from the short time that they had been together, but from the last 4 months in general of knowing Leonard Snart, Sara knew that it was not an often occurrence when Leonard would actually project his vulnerability. Taking as steady of steps as she could, Sara took the few foot walk from the doorway to where Leonard stood and linked her arm with his while leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I should have just let him stay in 2046. He was happy there. The happiest I've seen him since Rip recruited us. I was being selfish, despite trying to tell myself that it was for the best. Mick can become a really scary person when I'm not there to keep him in line. He's smart, but only when it comes to fights. Any other instance and he needs someone to walk him through things. We balanced each other. I was the brain; he was the muscle. Like those two super powered friends from that one group. The one that stretches, and the one that's a giant rock person; that was me and Mick, just without the powers." Leonard explained.

"You did what you thought was right. You can't blame yourself for that honey." Sara said softly.

"Yes I can, you just don't want me to." Leonard replied.

"You're right, I don't want you to think like that. Look at me Len." Sara said as she gently turned him to face her. "Mick is the closest thing to a best friend you have had for most of your life. You became so accustomed to him being there when you needed him that you couldn't fathom continuing the mission without him there. So yes, you were being selfish, but you were also acting out of habit. He wouldn't listen, so you resorted to knocking him out so that you could get him to go along with you. Looking back and wondering 'what if' scenarios won't change the fact that you did what was right, at the time. We didn't stop Mick from leaving the ship in 2166, so he should be happy. Just think about him being happy, and think about how happy you are, and just live your life here and now, no more living in the past or future, just live for now. Live for what we have." She said as she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his in a light kiss. "I love you Leonard, remember that." She finished.

"I love you too Sara." Leonard replied with a small, grateful smile.

"Let's go back to our friends; we kind of left in the middle of a conversation about what we would name our future children, and I'm curious about what Ray and Felicity might name their future kids." Sara said as she took his hand in hers and led him back inside.

"Is everything okay?" Carter asked.

"Everything's fine." Leonard said with a tight smile.

"So, Ray, Felicity. It's your turn. What would you two name your future kids?" Sara asked with a smirk as both of her friends' eyes widened.

"That's easy. Felicity Jr and Raymond Jr." Ray said recovering first.

"We are not naming our future children Felicity and Raymond Jr." Felicity argued.

"What were you thinking then?" Ray asked.

"We just got back together last night, kids are a long way off." Felicity said.

"Sara and Leonard just got together last week, and they have names for their future kids, why can't we?" Ray asked.

"I'd quite while you're ahead Ray, she's starting to look like she wants to murder you in your sleep." Carter muttered.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Once the group met up with Professor Stein and Jax back in Central City, with Barry and Caitlin joining them as well, they started looking any place in both cities that would be large enough to house the whole team when needed, giving everyone enough room to where no one would feel crowded, while also not being too big that it always felt you were alone, even if everyone was there. It took most of the rest of the day, but they finally found a place that everyone liked that was located close to Felicity's apartment in Star City. Ray took it upon himself to front the money for the place, with the assurance that everyone would pitch in to pay him back once they all got jobs.

It had been some time around lunch time, when the group had split up to all get their own food, that Sara had crossed paths with her father. Luckily Leonard had been using the restroom at the time, so it wasn't completely awkward, but Sara was still nervous about seeing her father again. As it had been pointed out that morning, her father was a police captain, and her boyfriend was, as Leonard had put it, a still-in-reformation criminal, and with the knowledge that he could join her at any moment had Sara on edge. After claiming that she had somewhere to be, which was not exactly a lie, Sara insisted that she and her father get together for dinner that night because she had something that she needed to tell him, and that she had someone that she needed to introduce to him. She had scrambled away as fast as she could with her wound before her father had had a chance to respond. Sara had, of course, called over her shoulder that he could reach her at Felicity's phone to figure out logistics.

And that's where Sara was now. Borrowing one of Felicity's dresses, which surprisingly fit her quite well, while Leonard got ready in the other room. Both of them complete nervous wrecks about this whole thing. The last two people that Quintin Lance had known that Sara had been with were Oliver and Nyssa, and while Sara wasn't sure how her father felt about Nyssa, she knew that he still resented Oliver at times for what had happened on The Queen's Gambit all those years ago. But this was different. She was actually bringing a boy home for dinner, one that she had only been dating for a week, and whom she had already envisioned having a family with one day. There was no way that she was going to mention the last part to her father through, he would already have a field day with what Leonard used to do, there was no need to add the 'he's-going-to-be-the-father-of-your-future-grandkids' bomb on him too. Quintin would assume that she was already pregnant.

"Sara, are you ready to go? We need to be at your father's house in 20 minutes." Leonard called through the door, trying desperately to conceal his nervousness, but failing miserably.

"Just about." Sara called back before looking up her friends in the mirror. "Am I doing the right thing?" She asked.

"Sara, just breathe. You love Leonard, right?" Kendra asked, in which Sara nodded. "Then you're doing the right thing. You didn't get to actually introduce him to Laurel, but you are getting to introduce him to your father, and you'll be able to actually talk to him." She finished.

"And if your father has even half a brain, he'll be happy that his baby girl is happy." Felicity added.

"What if he goes off the handle about Leonard's past like Laurel did?" Sara asked.

"Then that's his problem. If he can't see how happy Leonard makes you, and he can't bring himself to be happy for you, then he needs to figure things out, not you." Felicity said.

"Thanks you guys." Sara said with a smile.

"What are friends for? Now get going. You don't want to be late." Kendra said as Sara stood up and gave both of them a hug before heading out. "How do you think Captain Lance is going to react?" She asked under her breath.

"He's so going to flip." Felicity replied.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The drive from Felicity's apartment to Captain Lance's place was a tense one. Neither Sara nor Leonard knew what to say and Sara was quickly reaching a point where she was no longer sure that this was a good idea. They had only been dating for week, there was no need for her to introduce Leonard to her father this soon into the relationship. But, on the other hand, her family had missed so much in her life over the last 6+ years that waiting to tell her father about Leonard after Laurel already knew would not go over well. It would most likely result in another argument with Laurel, and Sara didn't want that. Not just because she hated fighting with her sister, but because she was scared that if she did get into another fight, she might not be as lucky when it came to hurting someone. She might not come out of her haze by hurting herself the next time, so Sara wanted to eliminate the possibility of there ever being a next time as much as possible. It wasn't until Leonard reached over and took her hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips, that Sara started to relax slightly.

"How are you so calm right now?" Sara asked.

"Trust me, I'm not. I've never done this before, but after seeing how nervous you are, I figured at least one of us had to be the calm one, and if that had to be me, then so be it." Leonard replied.

"We don't have to do this you know; we could always wait until we're further into our relationship before you meet my dad. This is a big step." Sara said.

"Your sister already knows and has already voiced her opinion on the matter. She doesn't exactly seem like the kind of person who would be able to keep this from your father for very long." Leonard said with a deep breath.

"You're right, she wouldn't want to. I vaguely remember her asking me something about if I was expecting her to tell our father last night during our fight, but it's still a little jumbled." Sara admitted with a pout.

"Is this the house?" Leonard asked as the pulled up to the house that Sara had grown up in.

"Yeah, it is." Sara said as she stared at the place that she used to call home.

"Are you okay?" Leonard asked.

"Is it too late to call him and tell him that I'm not feeling well?" Sara asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid so my beautiful Canary. Think about it this way, the sooner we get this dinner over with, the sooner we can go back to Felicity's and enjoy the rest of the evening with our friends." Leonard offered.

"You're right, again... you know, you can't keep being right about things." Sara said with another pout.

"If you're going to pout like that every time I'm right, then it's worth me being right as often as possible." Leonard commented as he leaned over and kissed the pout away.

"We should head inside." Sara muttered into the kiss.

"I know." Leonard replied with one last kiss before getting out of the car and walking around to help Sara out.

"Thank you honey." Sara said.

"You're welcome." Leonard replied bringing her hand to his lips again. It was going to be hard to keep his hands off of her in front of her father.

As the couple was walking up the front walkway, the front door swung open and there stood Captain Quintin Lance, glaring at the man that had his hand on the small of Sara's back to help her walk.

"Hi daddy." Sara said brightly.

"Who are you, and why are you touching my baby girl?" Quintin asked.

"Daddy, this is..." Sara started before her father held up a hand to stop her.

"I asked him." Quintin asked.

"My name is Leonard Snart, and I'm your daughter's boyfriend." Leonard replied.

"Snart... as in the criminal from Central City who's record suspiciously disappeared a few years ago?" Quintin asked.

"Yes Sir." Leonard replied.

"Daddy, give him a chance, please." Sara begged.

"For my daughter's sake, I will do what she asks. But know that if you say or do one thing that in any way hurts my baby girl, and I will put you back behind bars, is that understood?" Quintin questioned.

"Yes Sir." Leonard said.

"Now that we've come to that understanding, please come inside. Dinner is just about ready." Quintin said as he ushered the couple inside, narrowing his eyes at the way that Sara walked with a slight limp, a walk near identical to the one that her "boyfriend" had. Something was not right about this.


	12. Chapter 12: Trial Basis

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 12: Trial Basis

By the time that dinner was over, next to nothing had been discussed about Sara and Leonard's relationship. Quintin mostly just asked how she was doing, and how Tibet had been. He almost seemed to be implying that he had wanted her to have been in Tibet this entire time, and not traveling through time with a bunch of people that had varying levels of heroism. It wasn't until after they were done eating and had moved to the living room that anything of real importance about the evening's visit was even touched on.

"How did you two meet?" Quintin asked.

"We met when we were both recruited by a Time Master from the year 2166 to help stop a man named Vandal Savage from destroying the world." Sara replied.

"I'm being serious Sara." Quintin said.

"So am I daddy." Sara said.

"How long ago was that?" Quintin asked after a moment.

"4 months Sir." Leonard replied.

"And how long have you been dating?" Quintin asked.

"Just about a week." Sara replied.

"And you thought it was serious enough of a relationship to warrant introducing him to me?" Quintin asked, his eyes wide.

"Given the circumstances of our return to 2016, yes." Leonard said.

"And what were those circumstances?" Quintin asked.

"One of our teammates, Carter, had been killed during our first mission, and then yesterday morning, our other teammate, Kendra, felt his presence, so we came back to 2016 to get him. Originally we were going to just be back for a few days, but then the team talked about it, and we all decided that we are going to stay here. We aren't going back to a time ship where the captain doesn't care if we live or die. Something that is a long overdue decision, really." Sara said as she looked at Leonard.

"You're right, we all should have come back when Rip admitted that none of us had much impact on the timeline." Leonard agreed.

"Who's Rip?" Quintin asked.

"He's the Time Master who had recruited us. He had lied to us to get us to agree to go with him, but even once we found out the truth, we stayed because we wanted a chance to not only save the world, but a chance to change our own fates." Sara replied.

"Sara..." Quintin warned.

"I know daddy; I need to stop getting into situations where someone is lying to me." Sara said as she looked down.

"I noticed that you were both walking with a slight limp when you got here earlier; do either of you mind explaining what happened?" Quintin questioned.

"We were both stabbed in the abdomen." Leonard said with a grimace.

"How?" Quintin almost shouted.

"Savage had captured both Sara and I, and I did the foolish thing of trying to stand up for Sara, and that ended up with Savage torturing her to get me to give him information about what Rip's plan was, and I gave it to him to get him to stop, but as he left the room, he stabbed me. I almost died in your daughter's arms. That happened a little over a week ago." Leonard explained.

"And last night, after Leonard, Carter and Ray dropped Kendra and I off at Felicity's apartment, Laurel and Thea came over, and while we had been talking, Laurel and I got into an argument. We said some things to each other that made my bloodlust rise, and to stop myself from hurting Kendra, Felicity, Laurel or Thea, I stabbed myself. While mine was not as severe as Leonard's, I almost died last night." Sara explained. "And all Laurel could care about was that Leonard used to be a criminal." She finished, tears filling her eyes, to which Leonard quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and wiped the tears that had fallen away with his thumb.

"I find that highly unlikely." Quintin replied.

"She was still upset about their fight Sir; she probably wasn't thinking rationally." Leonard said as he rubbed Sara's arm to calm her down.

"Speaking about your past, Mr. Snart, what makes you think that I will respond any differently than my daughter did?" Quintin asked, turning his full attention to Leonard.

"You already have Sir. You have sat here, asking us questions instead of voicing your opinions and not listening to anything Sara or I have to say. I know that you have no reason to believe me, or trust me, right now, but all I ask, is that you trust Sara's judgement, and that you at least stay open to the idea of getting to know me. In the 4 months that Sara and I have known each other, I have started to become a better man, not for anyone else's benefit, but for my own, because your daughter makes me _want_ to be a better person." Leonard said as he held Quintin's sharp gaze.

"You're asking a lot of a Police Captain." Quintin replied.

"If it helps, I can tell you exactly why all the records of me went missing last year." Leonard offered.

"Len, you don't have to do that." Sara said quickly.

"If your father needs proof as to why he should trust me, I want to tell him." Leonard replied looking from Sara back to Quintin.

"Will I be able to check your story?" Quintin asked, always a detective.

"Yes Sir. Everything that I'm about to tell you can be verified by Barry Allen and his friends at STAR Labs." Leonard replied.

"Does that include his foster father, Detective Joe West?" Quintin asked.

"Yes Sir, it does." Leonard replied.

"Then please proceed." Quintin said as he sat back in his chair and motioned for Leonard to start.

"Before anything else, please know that Barry is The Flash, and Joe was against this plan from the beginning." Leonard started and waited for Quintin to agree before he continued. "With Barry being The Flash, he and his friends at STAR Labs fight Metahumans, and the really bad ones are eventually captured, and placed into cells in the pipeline where the Particle Accelerator had been. The man that everyone thought Dr. Harrison Wells was, well, he was actually an imposter. He created a new Particle Accelerator, one that would kill all of the Metas that Team Flash had apprehended. Barry was not about to risk their lives, and sought me out to ask for my help in case Cisco Ramone's containment truck failed. Barry wanted me to put them on ice if it failed. I had one condition before I agreed to help, and that was for all records of me, either paper or electronic, to be erased. For me to cease to exist. He only wiped everything on me because he couldn't risk the Metas dying, nor could he risk setting them loose on Central City. I, being the criminal that I was, double crossed him and let the Metas go, knowing that they would all owe me a debt." Leonard explained.

"And after all of that, you want me to trust you around my daughter?" Quintin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know that any kind of trust that you might have for me will not be instantaneous. Please, talk to Barry, he owes me nothing, and would have no reason to lie to protect me. And then make your decision about me after that." Leonard replied.

"Fine, I will talk to Mr. Allen, and I will give you a trial basis before I make my ultimate decision, but let me remind you that if you hurt my baby girl in any way before I talk to him, your trial basis will be terminated, and I will not allow you to be anywhere near my daughter, is that clear?" Quintin asked.

"Crystal clear Sir." Leonard replied.

After that, Sara and Leonard said their goodbyes to Quintin before heading out. Overall, the night had gone as smoothly as could be expected, but that didn't mean that Sara wasn't still nervous about this whole thing. Her father had been, surprisingly, calm and had actually listened to what they had to say, but that didn't mean that he would remain that way. Sara was sure that after talking with Laurel, which she knew her father would eventually do, the other shoe would drop and it would end up being Laurel and her father against the relationship, while Sara and Leonard had only their friends and his sister on their side. But then again, there was also the chance that if Laurel or Thea told Ollie before she got a chance to, that he would side with Laurel. Not to mention the fact that Sara had no idea where Thea stood on the relationship, but Ollie and Laurel had always had that kind of relationship where if they were arguing about something, they were siding on an issue. And thinking back, there were only a few things that came to mind that Laurel and Ollie had been against each other on.

"I think that went really well." Leonard said as he helped Sara into the passenger seat.

"Honestly, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even with as seemingly understanding as my father was, there is no way he actually is willing to allow this. He's probably on the phone with Laurel right now, getting her opinion on this and then is going to break off this whole 'trial basis' thing." Sara said with a sigh.

"Do you want him to side with your sister on our relationship? Because I honestly don't think you would be able to be happy being with me if your family doesn't approve." Leonard said with a frown.

"As I said this morning, if my father ends up not approving, then I'll be disappointed that my family isn't supportive, but that wouldn't change how I feel about you." Sara replied.

"Are you sure?" Leonard asked.

"100% positive." Sara said.

"Then don't wait for something bad to happen. Don't think about what your dad might be doing right now. Don't think about what your sister might tell him when they do talk. Just think about us, and how happy we are together." Leonard said as he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss.

"My dad's watching us." Sara muttered against Leonard's lips causing him to pull away quickly.

Leonard whipped his head around to look at the windows on the front of the house. He didn't see any open curtains, or any lights on that were casting silhouettes and he narrowed his eyes. There was no indication that what Sara had said about her father watching them held any truth so he slowly turned back to face his girlfriend only to find her grinning like a maniac. Raising an eyebrow at her, Leonard tilted his head while folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm surprised at how quickly you pulled away. You are more scared of what my father might do to you than Oliver or Nyssa ever were, combined." Sara commented with a shrug.

"You were testing me?" Leonard asked.

"Yes..." Sara said slowly.

"Did I pass?" Leonard asked.

"With flying colors honey." Sara reassured him.

"I'm glad, because your father is man who should be feared. He has a whole cities worth of officers who could arrest me just for touching you inappropriately." Leonard said with a straight face.

"He wouldn't sick his officers on you for touching me inappropriately. He would come after you himself. Actually, anything that you could do to me directly, he would come after you himself. Anything else he would find a reason to send his officers on your trail." Sara said.

"That is, in no way, reassuring me dear Canary." Leonard said with a grimace as he closed the door and made his way around the car to get into the driver's seat.

"Does it help that I wouldn't tell him if you touch me inappropriately?" Sara asked as she leaned across the console and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Something tells me that you wouldn't have to tell him... he would just _know_." Leonard replied as he started the car and put it in reverse.

As they drove, Sara couldn't help staring at Leonard. He looked every bit the part of a future husband to her and she couldn't wait until they were able to make that part of her dream come true. They had borrowed Felicity's car for the evening, and despite being the acting president of Palmer Tech, she hadn't gotten a car that was overly expensive. It was sensible enough that it worked for a single woman in her mid-thirties. It was also sensible enough that as Sara stared at Leonard, she started to image what their future would look like. Leonard driving, Alethea and Cormick arguing in the back while she was constantly telling them to be quite so as to not wake their baby sister. As the mental images flitted through her mind, Sara started to hear the scene. Looking at the backseat, hers and Leonard's future children started to materialize.

" _Stop touching me!" Alethea cried as Cormick hit her shoulder._

" _I didn't do it on purpose!" Cormick said back._

" _Yes you did!" Alethea argued._

" _No I didn't." Cormick replied._

" _Did too." Alethea said._

" _Did not!" Cormick cried._

" _Did."_

" _Didn't."_

" _That's enough you two. Your sister is sleeping. Stop arguing, and both of you keep your hands to yourself." Sara said with a sigh as she saw Leonard smirk out of the corner of her eye. "You have something to say,_ dear _?" She asked._

" _No, just admiring the way you handle our children arguing." Leonard replied._

" _Sure you are." Sara muttered._

" _But mom... Micky hit me." Alethea complained._

" _She's lying mom. I barely touched her." Cormick said quickly._

" _I'm not a liar. You are." Alethea bit out._

" _I said that's enough." Sara snapped. "Look, whether it was an accident or not, don't let it happen again. Keep your hands to yourself, both of you." She said again._

" _What if Lici wakes up?" Alethea asked._

" _What does that have to do with anything that I just said?" Sara asked._

" _Lici likes to hold our fingers." Cormick pointed out._

" _If Felicity wakes up, and indicates that she wants to hold onto yours and Alethea's fingers, that's one thing, but your mother means don't hit each other, whether it was intentional or not." Leonard said._

" _Fine." Alethea and Cormick muttered together._

Sara felt the tears spring to her eyes as the scene started to disappear. Her family was beautiful. And she wanted it sooner rather than later. But that would mean rushing her relationship with Leonard, and she didn't want to rush that. Everything in their lives was already screwed up enough as it was that rushing their relationship would only make things worse. She was in a catch 22 and that frustrated her. Turning back to face the road, Sara quickly wiped her tears away before they could start falling, and before Leonard noticed them. Unfortunately, her movement to wipe them away caught Leonard's attention and he glanced over at her before pulling to the side of the road.

"What's wrong Sara?" Leonard asked.

"Nothing." Sara said as she looked out the window.

"Sara, I know that something is bothering you. You were wiping tears away from your eyes." Leonard commented. "Please, just tell me what's wrong." He begged.

"I was hallucinating, that's all." Sara assured him as she turned to look at him, but found it hard to meet his eyes.

"That's bullshit Sara. If that really was all it was, then you wouldn't have started crying." Leonard pointed out.

"Fine... I saw our family again. Our children... they were arguing in the back seat." Sara said with an agitated sigh.

"Why would that make you cry? That sounds like something that you would smile about." Leonard said.

"I started to cry because I want our family to happen sooner rather than later, but at the same time, I don't want to jeopardize our relationship by rushing into having kids. As everyone keeps pointing out, we've only been together for a week." Sara said as she turned back to look out the window again.

Leonard sighed as Sara turned away from him. There was definitely going to be some things that they were going to have work through for their relationship to work and last. As Leonard had pulled back onto the street, Sara leaned her head back against the headrest. She was being stupid about the whole thing. She knew that she already loved the man beside her, and she knew that he already loved her, so wasn't that already moving fast for only being together for a week? And so what if they started working on starting their family once both of them were healed? If they loved each other enough, and could really truly love each other despite the other's pasts, then there was no reason to hold off on starting their family.

Glancing over at Leonard, Sara let out a sigh. He had a hard look in his eyes, and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. She had caused that reaction, and she hated that she had. Reaching over, Sara placed her hand on Leonard's thigh and rubbed his leg. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Leonard to relax. The hardness in his eyes softened, and he loosened his hold on the steering wheel. Splaying her hand out, Sara gave Leonard's thigh a light squeeze, causing him to take her hand in his. Lacing their fingers together, Leonard brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed Sara's knuckles.

"I'm sorry Len. I've just never had the best luck with getting the future that I want." Sara said in a small voice.

"I know the feeling." Leonard replied, his voice breaking slightly as he held back tears.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

While Sara and Leonard had been over at Captain Lance's house for dinner, Felicity, Ray, Kendra and Carter had enjoyed an impromptu double date night in. Of course, that hadn't stopped them from calling Thea and Laurel to see if they wanted to stop by. While Laurel had flat out refused, claiming that she couldn't be there if no one knew when Sara and Leonard would be back, Thea had politely declined, telling Felicity that Roy had stopped by and they were catching up since her _near_ death experience. Of course, Felicity had completely understood, so she hadn't pressed for information. But that meant that the four friends would just their two relationships to speculate on. Which of course led back to their conversation from that morning about the names of their future children.

"I still don't understand why you don't want to name our children Felicity and Raymond Jr." Ray complained.

"If Sara wanted to name her daughters after her friends, and one of her daughters' first names is going to be Felicity, I don't want there to be two kids in our group who have the same first name. Do you get how confusing that could be for two little kids?" Felicity asked.

"Fine, then what names do you like?" Ray asked.

"I don't know Ray, but just because our friends have already started to think about what they would name their kids doesn't mean that we have to as well." Felicity said with a sigh.

"Would you want to have more kids Kendra?" Carter asked.

"Wait... more kids? You two have kids already?" Felicity asked.

"Well... we had a son from a previous life, and our paths crossed with his on our first mission with Rip, but he passed away shortly after that." Kendra said as she started to fiddle with the ring that was on her necklace.

"Was that his?" Ray asked. He had noticed the ring before but never thought it was appropriate to mention it.

"No, it was mine... from that life. Aldus, our son, had held on to it after Savage had killed us, hoping that he would see us again to return it to me." Kendra said as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry." Felicity said.

"It's okay, he was destined to die; Rip chose that particular day knowing that it was his last, but at least Carter and I were able to be there for it." Kendra said as she laced her fingers with Carter's.

"You didn't get a chance to answer my question." Carter pointed out.

"Eventually, yes. I would love to know if Aldus was our only child from a previous life, or if we had others before we try for any in this life." Kendra admitted.

"We can definitely try to figure that out." Carter said as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"How did you come up with the name Aldus?" Felicity asked.

"We don't remember." Carter replied.

"Do you remember little details from all of your previous lives?" Felicity questioned.

"Carter remembers more about our past lives than I do, but even then, neither of us remembered that Aldus was our son when we met him. It seems so long ago, but it was only 4 months ago." Kendra explained.

Before anyone else could say anything, there was a knock on the front door, and Felicity quickly got up to answer it, leaving Ray to awkwardly sit there, doing everything that he could to not look at Kendra and Carter. It wasn't long before Felicity rejoined the others, but she wasn't alone. As she rounded the short corner that blocked the door from the living room, Felicity had a huge smile on her face as she was followed by Thea and Roy.

"Ray?" Roy asked, a complete look of shock on his face.

"Did no one tell Roy that I was still alive?" Ray asked.

"I figured it was better for him to see you for himself." Thea said with a shrug. "Roy, this is Kendra and Carter. Kendra is a reincarnated Egyptian Priestess and Carter is a reincarnated Egyptian Prince." She explained. "Kendra, Carter, this is Roy." She finished.

"It's nice to meet you both." Roy said with a smile. "And Ray, man, it's great to see you again... and alive. I guess we both technically came back from the supposed grave?" Roy asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ray said with a smile as the two gave each other a bro hug.

"Has everyone here, except Felicity, had a brush with death?" Carter asked.

"Oh, I almost died. A couple times. Both times were because of Damien Darhk." Felicity said.

"What did he do?" Ray asked sharply.

"Well, he took me, Thea and John to try and hurt Oliver; then the night that Oliver proposed, our limo was ambushed, and Darhk's men shot up the limo, and some of the bullets hit me. That's why I was in a wheelchair." Felicity explained.

"Felicity, we were gone when you were shot. The last time any of us saw you, you were walking." Kendra said as Ray just stood there, staring at Felicity.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that none of you were here." Felicity said.

"So... what were you all talking about before we got here?" Thea asked, cutting through the tension that was quickly growing.

"What we would name our future children." Kendra said.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. What names were you all thinking of?" Thea asked as she and Roy sat in between Felicity and Kendra.

"Felicity won't tell me what names she would want to use." Ray said with a pout.  
"No, I said that I wasn't sure. Not that I didn't want to tell you." Felicity argued.

"What would you name your kids Ray?" Roy asked.

"Felicity and Raymond Jr. But Felicity says that we wouldn't be able to name our daughter Felicity because Sara and Leonard are already wanting to name one of their daughters Felicity." Ray replied.

"That's a legitimate reason. I'm sure we are all wanting to stay friends once we all start to have kids, so having two little girls in the group with the same name would get confusing for them." Thea said.

"See, I told you so." Felicity muttered sticking her tongue out at Ray.

"What about you two?" Kendra asked looking at Thea and Roy.

"Oh, um, I've always liked the names Kenna and Elizabeth for girls' names." Thea said as a small blush rose on her cheeks.

"I've liked the names Samuel and Everett for boys." Roy added.

"Those are adorable names." Felicity gushed.

"There would definitely be some things that we would have to deal with before we started to actually think about having kids." Roy pointed out.

"I'm sure that we could resolve all of that." Felicity commented.

"And put the heat back on Oliver? I can't do that to him." Roy said.

"Can't do what?" Carter asked.

"I gave myself up as the Arrow to save Oliver, and I went to jail. I then faked my death and fled from Star City. I was outed as Roy Harper by Felicity's father and had to start over. Oliver offered at that point to let the team fix everything, but I refused then as well. Felicity, why would you think that now would be any different?" Roy asked.

"Because you came back to Star City for Thea, and not because my father had some mind control software in your eye was threatening to out you. Unless you just couldn't stay away for too long knowing that Thea knew you were alive." Felicity said suggestively.

"She has a point Roy. You did come back for me this time." Thea commented.

"Honestly, I came back to clear my name, and without anyone else's help, I think I found a way to not implement Oliver by doing so." Roy said.

"Wait... why did you say that you were the Arrow, and why were you arrested if Oliver has always been the Arrow?" Kendra asked.

"Things at that point were complicated. I thought, at the time, that I was doing something to help Oliver, but it all ended up backfiring anyway." Roy replied.

"Roy?" Sara asked from the doorway. "Is that you?" She finished.

"Sara? You're alive too?" Roy asked as he quickly got up.

"Uh, yeah, Laurel used the Lazarus Pit on me, just like Oliver used on Thea." Sara said as she stepped forward slowly.

"It's so great to see you alive again." Roy said as he closed the distance between them and gave her a huge hug.

"It's great to see you too Roy." Sara said with a small smile as Leonard cleared his throat behind her. "Oh, Roy, this is my boyfriend, Leonard. Leonard, this is Thea's boyfriend Roy." She said as she moved away from Roy.

"It's nice to meet you." Roy said with a nod.

"Nice to meet you too kid." Leonard replied.

"Is there a party going on here that we weren't invited to?"


	13. Chapter 13: Fight of the Canaries

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 13: Fight of the Canaries

It was a surprise to everyone in the apartment to hear the voice that came from the front door. It was a voice that everyone instantly recognized, but had not expected to show up. It was Oliver, and Laurel was standing next to him, a tentative smile on her face as her eyes landed on Sara and Leonard. At this point, everyone knew that there was one of only a few ways that the rest of the night could continue. Either Sara and Laurel got along and nobody got hurt, or Sara and Laurel would start arguing about Leonard again, and everyone would be in danger. Not just because of Sara's bloodlust, but because if anything provoked Thea, her bloodlust would be an issue as well.

"What are you two doing here?" Felicity asked as she recovered first.

"I changed my mind. I talked to my dad and he got me to see reason, so I wanted a chance to hear Sara and Snart out." Laurel replied.

"And you? What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Felicity asked, rounding on Oliver.

"I wanted to talk. As I was heading over, I ran into Laurel, so I accompanied her." Oliver said.

"There's nothing that you and I need to talk about. Not anymore. You kept a huge secret from me, and then even once I found out about it, from someone else mind you, you continued to leave me out of the decisions regarding what would happen from there out. I called off our engagement, and I have no intentions of taking you back. I meant what I said last night. So you can leave." Felicity said.

"So you're saying that your feelings for Ray never went away, you just pretended that they did, but your feelings for me have?" Oliver asked.

"I'm saying that when I thought you were dead, my feelings for you were pushed down, and replaced by my feelings for Ray. Then you came back and I pushed my feelings for Ray to the side because I thought that you could actually change. But I was wrong. You will never change; you will never stop lying instead of telling the truth to the ones that you love, and I hated myself for thinking that you could change. I told you that last night. 24 hours is not going to change how I feel. Hell, it's been 2 months since I called off the engagement, and I haven't changed my mind about that." Felicity said.

At those words, Oliver and Felicity simply stood there, staring each other down. Both of them silently daring the other to give in first, but neither of them was relenting. While the former couple had their staring contest, Sara and Laurel had their own. Even if what Laurel had said about having talked to their father and coming to her senses had been true, Sara wasn't sure if she believed her sister. And whether Laurel was telling the truth or not, Sara made sure that Leonard was close enough to get to her if her bloodlust started to rise. Sara also took in the fact that Roy was hovering close to Thea just in case the younger girl's bloodlust was agitated. Then there was Ray, Kendra and Carter… Ray had his hands on Felicity's shoulders while Kendra and Carter stayed by the hall.

"What do you want to hear that you didn't hear last night?" Sara asked giving her sister a hard stare.

"Dad said that he was giving _him_ a trial basis in regards to this whole relationship, is that true?" Laurel asked.

"First of all, dad has no reason to lie to you; and second of all, that doesn't answer my question. You heard everything that Leonard and I told dad last night, and you didn't want to listen then, so why are you suddenly taking the same route as dad?" Sara asked.

"You surprised me last night Sara. When I get surprised, I don't think rationally. And then the guys got here after you stabbed yourself and I just lost it." Laurel replied.

"You told Leonard that he wasn't good enough for me!" Sara exclaimed before clutching her side.

"I'm sorry." Laurel said. "To both of you." She finished as her eyes flicked to Leonard for a brief moment before looking back at her sister.

"Bullshit Laurel. You just don't like dad giving Leonard a chance when you think that he shouldn't." Sara spat out.

"Sara, you need to calm down." Thea warned, the tension was starting to get to her own bloodlust as she watched Sara slowly lose control on hers.

"Oh, I am calm Thea." Sara snapped. "Leonard, where's your Cold Gun?" She asked after taking a deep breath.

"At Raymond's apartment, why?" Leonard said slowly.

"Damn it. The one time I want you to have it with you, you don't have it." Sara muttered.

"Why would you want me to have it right now!?" Leonard asked in horror.

"I was going to ask you to put Thea and I on ice if we lost control." Sara replied.

"Have you lost the little bit of your mind that you still had left?" Laurel asked.

"Stay out of this Black Canary!" Leonard snapped.

"Make me criminal!" Laurel snapped back.

"No one, and I do mean no one, other than myself, calls my boyfriend 'criminal'. And when he tells you to butt out, then you mind your own fucking business." Sara spat as her vision started to black out.

"Oh please Sara, like I would ever listen to a criminal like him. He's fooling you. He's trying to make you think that he's changed so that you're so blinded by what he says that you miss what he does. I won't let my baby sister be even more corrupted then you already are." Laurel said.

"I'm not a baby anymore Laurel! I haven't been for years! I lost that innocence a long time before you did. And not just because I got together with Ollie behind your back and ended up as a member of the League of Assassins. Why even try to protect me when you can barely protect yourself? You are so delusional into thinking that a bad influence will be the one that changes me, that you refuse to see that it is my good influence that has changed Leonard. You didn't even fucking know Leonard before he was recruited by Rip, so you have no say in anything that you don't understand!" Sara yelled.

"You think that you know what's best for you Sara, but you don't." Laurel said with a shake of her head.

"No Laurel, you don't know what's best for me. You want to, but you don't. You say that you know the kind of person that I am, but you know nothing about me. You haven't known me for so long. Stop living in the past!" Sara yelled.

"ENOUGH! Sara, you really need to calm down. You're not just having to worry about your bloodlust being agitated, but Thea's as well. If you lose control, and don't have enough time to tell us to get her out like you did last night, you are going to attack her again, and she will have no choice but to fight back. You of all people know that she won't be able to stop until she kills someone. Do you really want to risk everyone's lives just because you and Laurel disagree on something? You two are sisters, you are never going to agree on everything. That's what being siblings' entails. Loving each other despite different opinions and being there for each other. So Laurel hates your boyfriend before she's taken the time to get to know him. That's what big siblings do. Oliver hated my guts when Thea and I first started dating, then he took me under his wing. If what I've heard is true, and Leonard has a younger sister, I'm sure he has hated any guy that she's dated. But even with all of that, you and Laurel still love each other. You don't need her approval to be happy with Leonard. If he makes you happy, that's what's most important." Roy said taking a few steps away from Thea to stand in front of Sara while everyone else just stood around and stared at him.

"Thank you Roy, but it's not that Laurel doesn't like Leonard. It's that she thinks she knows everything about me and my life and has tried to control what I do since I came back from the supposed grave the first time." Sara said as she shot a glare in Laurel's direction over Roy's shoulder.

"I'm not trying to control your life Sara! I'm trying to protect you! Why can't you see that I feel like I've failed at being your big sister!?" Laurel exclaimed.

"Who are you trying to protect me from? Huh? I am a trained member of the League of Assassins. I don't need you to try and protect me! We aren't fucking kids anymore Laurel. I can protect myself. And if, for whatever reason, I end up not being able to protect myself, I know that Leonard will be right next to me, ready to put whatever bastard hurt me on ice. You, on the other hand, would just see me as weak and defenseless. Yes, Laurel, you are my big sister, and you lost out on years that you could have been looking out for me because I was dating Oliver behind your back and went on that stupid boat trip with him, but why do you have to live in the past?" Sara shot back.

As Sara stood there, staring her sister down, waiting for an answer, the rest of the world fell away. It was just them. Sure, Sara could feel Leonard's body heat radiating off of his body just to her right, but that was it. All she saw was Laurel. Her sister looked like she was at a loss for words, and didn't know how to respond. As the time dragged on without Laurel responding, Sara was starting to get impatient and smug about the fact that she had finally gotten to Laurel. It wasn't until there was a hand on her shoulder and something bring pressed into her hand that Sara started to notice what was happening around her again, but something was off. Looking down at her hands, Sara's eyes widened.

"What the hell is this?" Sara snapped as she looked up and glared at Oliver and Laurel.

"It's a save the date card." Oliver replied.

"I can fucking see that Ollie. Why does it have yours and Laurel's names on it?" Sara spat out as the pressure on her shoulder increased.

"You know that Laurel and I have been dating for years. We decided that before we move in together, that we should be married first." Oliver said as he wrapped his arms around Laurel's waist from behind. His hair was long, like it had been when they had gotten on the boat, and his face was boyish like it had been.

"You haven't dated Laurel since before the storm that sank The Queen's Gambit." Sara said.

"What are you talking about Sara? The Queen's Gambit is docked in the marina." Laurel said slowly.

"No, it's not. 6 years ago it got caught in a storm in the North China sea." Sara argued.

"6 years ago? Sara, are you feeling okay? You aren't making any sense." Laurel said as she broke away from Oliver and went to her sister to feel her forehead.

"I feel fine." Sara said as she swatted at Laurel's hand. Her reflexes were off and the pressure that was being applied to her shoulder was now equally being applied to her other one.

"Does she know that you cheated on her with me?" Sara asked staring at Oliver.

"What the hell are you talking about Sara? You and I have never been into each other like that." Oliver said, genuinely confused.

"You cheated on me with my own sister?" Laurel asked as she rounded on Oliver.

"NO! Laurel, I have no idea what she's talking about." Oliver said, giving her a pleading look to believe him.

"SARA!"

Sara shook her head when someone had called her name. It hadn't been Laurel or Oliver. As she looked around, she realized that she was on her knees. She could see Laurel and Oliver were still standing by the front door while her friends, her real friends, were all surrounding her. Glancing at her shoulders, Sara let out a sigh of relief, the pressure that had been being applied to them was coming from Leonard. As she slowly stood back up, and her friends gave her some space, Sara glanced at her sister. There was a small ring on her left ring finger. Then she took in Oliver's position in relation to Laurel. He was standing just behind her to the left, his hand on Laurel's lower back.

"How the hell could you do this to Felicity?" Sara snapped making everyone stare at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Laurel asked quickly, having the decency to look guilty and not be able to make eye contact with Sara.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about Laurel. You and Oliver are back together. 2 months after Felicity broke off hers and Oliver's engagement. So again I say, how the hell could you do this to Felicity?" Sara said seething.

"It's not what you think Sara." Oliver said as he went to take a step forward before stopping when he saw the murderous look in Sara's eyes.

"Oh really? Because the ring on my sister's ring finger would say otherwise." Sara snapped.

"It's not an engagement ring! And even if it was, so what? Ollie and I have had a very complex history, but it's a history that can't be denied." Laurel said.

"Yeah, one where he cheated on you with every girl he could get into bed, me included." Sara said with a non-humorous laugh.

"That was uncalled for Sara." Oliver said.

"Really? Because I think it's completely called for after what she said to me last night." Sara said as she turned to look at Laurel and folded her arms across her chest. "Do you want to tell him what you told me, or should I?" Sara asked.

"Do you even remember what she said?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, it all came back." Sara replied.

"Sara, don't do this." Leonard warned.

"Why shouldn't I? I'm just being a good sister by returning a favor." Sara said with a sneer.

"This isn't you Sara." Kendra said as she stood in front of Sara, blocking the blonde's view of her sister.

"Laurel, Oliver, I think it might be best if you two leave." Ray said before quickly ushering them out of the apartment and closing the door behind them.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Sara calmed down enough to realize just what had transpired. She had hallucinated. She had seen what could have happened had Oliver not cheated on Laurel with herself as a way of making her see the truth now. Oliver had not just run into Laurel on his way over here to talk to Felicity, they had left Laurel's apartment together, and had come over here together. Laurel hadn't wanted to hear Sara and Leonard out, she and Oliver had been coming over to tell Felicity that they were engaged. Then everything she had said to them since coming out of the hallucination hit her and the force made her stagger. With Leonard right there to catch her, Sara look around in horror. Where was Felicity? Where was Ray? It was just herself, Leonard, Kendra, Carter, Thea and Roy in the living room. Their hostess was MIA.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

When Felicity had seen the ring on Laurel's finger, she had rushed out of the living room and had run to her bedroom. She had only just broken off the engagement 2 months ago, and he was already engaged to someone that she had considered to be her friend? Yes, Laurel was someone that Oliver had loved before he had lover her, but it still hurt to know that he was already engaged to Laurel so soon. Couldn't they have at least gone out for a while after getting back together before they had gotten engaged? Couldn't Laurel have mentioned it when they all had their girls' night the night before? Why did they have to spring it on her like that?

When Felicity had reached her room, she had flung herself onto her bed and started to cry into her pillow. She hated Oliver Queen. She hated that she had ever felt anything for him. She hated that he hadn't died in the damn boating accident. She hated that he had proposed to her. She hated that she had said yes to him. She hated everything about his existence. The only thing that she didn't hate about him was Thea, and even then, Thea wasn't his full sister, so Felicity still hated Oliver. She hated that he made her think he could, and would, change. If Laurel was fine with all of the lying, and the secrets that Oliver told, then they deserved each other. Felicity was quickly starting to hate Laurel too.

"Felicity?" Ray said softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed and lightly started to rub her arm.

"Are they gone?" Felicity asked, her question muffled by her pillow.

"Yes. They are gone, and the others are making sure that Sara is okay." Ray replied.

"Good. I want my building's doorman to be told not to let them into the building." Felicity said as she lifted her head up slightly.

"You don't have to continue to live her Felicity. We found a place big enough for the team, you can always come live there with us." Ray offered.

"Wouldn't that be something that the team should discuss first?" Felicity asked.

"I'll talk to them about it, but I'm sure they'll be okay with it." Ray assured her.

"What am I going to do Ray? I can't go back to the Arrow Cave and be Overwatch for them knowing that they didn't even consider how I would feel about this." Felicity said as she sat up and curled against Ray's side.

"Quit. You don't need them." Ray said with a small shrug.

"But none of them know technology like I do." Felicity said. "I might not need them, but they need me." She said with a sigh.

"John, Laurel and Thea seemed to manage alright when you and Oliver had left." Ray pointed out.

"But I was still helping them when I could behind Oliver's back." Felicity replied.

"Maybe talk to Thea and John, see what they say about it." Ray suggested.

"That's probably the best option at this point." Felicity said with a defeated sigh.

"You'll figure something out. And I'll be there for you when you do. And so will my team." Ray said as he pressed a kiss to the top of Felicity's head.

"Your team?" Felicity asked.

"Well, we are talking about two different teams right now. Team Arrow and The Legends Team. So to differentiate, yeah, my team." Ray said with another shrug and a smile.

"Legends?" Felicity asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"That is something that takes a little bit of time to explain properly, and it should probably be done when everyone is together." Ray said. "Plus, I'm sure Team Flash is going to want to know about it too." He added.

"Probably, given that Barry can run fast enough to travel back in time." Felicity said in agreement.

"Are you feeling up to going back out to the living room? You do still have guests that are actually welcome to be here." Ray questioned.

"Yeah, let's go." Felicity said as she stood up before removing her shoes, stepping between Ray's legs, and pressing a deep kiss to his lips; their height difference gone now that he was sitting and she didn't have heels on.

"As much as I would love to continue this, our friend might start to wonder and worry about what's going on in here." Ray say as he reluctantly pulled away a little bit from the kiss.

"Fine, but we are going to finish this later." Felicity muttered with one more quick kiss before turning and walking towards the door. "You coming?" She asked innocently as she glanced at him over her shoulder.

"Right behind you." Ray said as he stood up and followed her out to the living room.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

By the time that Felicity and Ray came back, the rest of the group had all settled down on the various pieces of furniture and were about to start watching a movie on the TV. While Sara still looked a little shaken, she looked smug about the choice of movie. In fact, Kendra and Thea looked smug about the movie as well, while Leonard, Carter and Roy all looked like they would have never chosen this movie for themselves, but were going to keep their mouths shut about it just to keep their respective girlfriend happy. As she glanced at the screen, Felicity broke into a huge smile. As he glanced at the screen however, Ray's face fell. It was an ultimate chick flick/rom com: _'What's Your Number?'_ This was going to be torture for the guys, but it was just what the girls needed right now.


	14. Chapter 14: Arrow vs Legends

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 14: Arrow vs Legends

During the following weeks, it was difficult for the Legends Team to get any footing back in their lives. They hadn't had anything really going for them before Rip recruited them, and now that they were back, they were starting to realize that they still didn't have anything going for them. It didn't take them too long to realize that Rip had been right. They had little to no effect on the timeline, and they were suddenly at a loss of what to do. Kendra and Carter were trying to figure out what to do in this time since Savage had already been killed; Ray and Felicity were trying to get him back into being the CEO of his company despite Felicity's success at the job in his absence; Professor Stein and Jax were mostly in Central City, helping out Team Flash when they could, but still trying to figure out what to do other than that; then there was Sara and Leonard. The two on the team that had the worse luck to begin with.

To most of the people in Star City, Sara was known to be dead. Having been killed back in 2007, and having no record of her coming back, it would be like people were seeing a ghost wherever she went. Leonard was less known in Star City, but the knowledge that he was a thief and a crook was there, and no one outside of the team trusted him. Of course, there was the offer that Ray had given, of seeing if there were any job openings at Palmer Tech that would suit them, but they hadn't heard anything on that since their friend had first mentioned it. Sara wasn't even sure if Ray remembered having even offered it in the first place. Not that she cared. A tech company job was not exactly a place where Sara saw a job for her. Leonard would at least consider doing something in the lines of security, but he would eventually turn it down. That's why they found themselves alone in the team's home base, alone, with nothing to do.

"I'm bored." Sara said as she rolled over in their bed to stare at Leonard.

"There are things that we could do to alleviate that boredom." Leonard offered with a smirk.

"Neither of us are healed to the point where there is no need to worry about reopening our stab wounds." Sara pointed out.

"We don't have to do anything like _that_ , but we could still have some fun." Leonard said as he draped an arm around Sara's shoulders and pulled her on top of him.

"And what exactly did you have in mind Crook?" Sara asked with a raised eyebrow as she started to run her fingers over some of the scars that littered Leonard's chest.

"We could make out like two horny teenagers, or we could go train. I know that you have been itching to get your hands back on your staff." Leonard suggested.

"I'm not sure if Caitlin would be okay with us training. Besides, we have no clear idea of what we would be training for. Barry and Team Flash have everything that we would be training for handled in Central City, and Team Arrow have everything handled here in Star City. Our team agreed to stay in 2016 because we didn't want to go through Rip putting our lives at risk again, but we've been here for a few weeks now, and we have had no action. I mean, what are we supposed to do? Take over for Oliver and his team?" Sara asked.

"The Arrow and his team fight crime at night. We can fight during the day. Crime can happen at any time of the day." Leonard said.

"They won't be happy." Sara commented.

"So what? We need to find something that benefits our skills. What if we talk to the others and look into starting some kind of gym that teaches kids different kinds of fighting skills? Between all of us, I'm sure the team could come up with something. Because I honestly don't think that you, me, Kendra, Carter, Jax or Stein would really fit in at Palmer Tech. Plus, Raymond hasn't said a word about his offer since he originally brought it up." Leonard said.

"You want our team to start a fight club?" Sara asked.

"Fight club has such a negative ring to it." Leonard commented.

"This coming from a former crook." Sara said as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Would you like to call Ray and see what he says about positions at Palmer Tech? Or would you rather call Caitlin and see if she has cleared us for physical activity?" Leonard asked.

"I don't want to do either one..." Sara trailed off with pout.

"Then what do you want to do?" Leonard asked with a sigh.

"I don't _know_. I know what I don't want to do, but I don't know what I want to do." Sara said with a sigh of her own as she rolled off Leonard and stared up at the ceiling.

"Then I don't know what to tell you Sara." Leonard said before sitting up in bed and pushing the covers away.

"Where are you going?" Sara asked as she sat up herself.

"I'm going to go get something to eat." Leonard replied.

"Oh, okay." Sara said as she settled back under the covers.

"Would you like to come with me? I don't think anyone else is here right now, so we could raid the kitchen." Leonard offered.

Before Sara could reply, the sound of the doorbell being hit and the alarm going off silenced any response she was going to make. Jumping into action, the couple hurried out of their room, both grabbing their respective weapons of choice, and towards the front door, only to be met half way by Oliver and Laurel. Leonard barely had enough time to catch Sara around the waist before she lunged at her sister and her ex-boyfriend. Of course, Sara was not going to stop trying to get to them until Leonard let her go, but Leonard wasn't going to let her go until she calmed down.

"Relax Canary. It's okay. They aren't here to hurt anyone. We aren't in any danger." Leonard whispered into Sara's ear.

"What the hell is wrong with you two? Ringing the doorbell and then barging into our house? We could have seriously hurt you both. Not that the thought hasn't already crossed my mind over the last few weeks." Sara snarled.

"Barry called us. He said that there is someone on their way to Star City that might cause a huge disturbance, and he thinks that the guy might be coming here because of your team." Oliver said.

"YOU BROKE IN AND ENTERED OUR HOUSE OLIVER!" Sara yelled.

"We didn't break in..." Laurel started.

"Then why did our alarm system go off right after you rang the doorbell?" Leonard questioned.

"Is it still going off? It was a glitch. We rang the doorbell and Kendra let us in." Laurel replied with a look of disdain.

"Kendra isn't home! She and Carter are off dealing with selling their apartment in St. Roch." Sara said with a roll of her eyes.

"No, she's not. She was the one who opened the front door for us." Oliver said.

"Kendra, do you copy?" Leonard asked into the speaker on the wall.

"Kendra and Carter are out of the house Len." Ray's voice said in reply.

"Did you let Laurel and Oliver into the house?" Sara asked.

"No, I just got back from the office." Ray replied as he came around the corner.

"Is anyone else here?" Sara asked worriedly.

"Not that I know of. I know Stein and Jax are currently consulting on a Meta in Central City, but Felicity is at work, and Kendra and Carter should still be in St. Roch selling their apartment." Ray said.

"Then they did break and enter." Sara said as she rounded on her sister and Oliver.

"We wouldn't do that!" Laurel snapped.

"I wouldn't past you two, given what you've done to Felicity." Sara said with a shrug.

"Would you give that a rest already? Felicity's forgiven us and we have all moved past that, why can't you?" Oliver asked.

"You really think that Felicity has forgiven you two? Wow, Oliver, I thought you were smarter than that." Ray said with a shake of his head.

"What's that supposed to mean Ray?" Oliver asked.

"She hasn't forgiven you. The only reason that she helped you guys out the other night was because she was there talking to Dig and Thea, asking them what they think she should do about quitting and then all hell broke loose in the city. Don't confuse bad timing and helpfulness as forgiveness." Ray said.

"Why wouldn't she talk to us about quitting?" Laurel asked.

"Are you being serious? You were engaged to her ex-fiancé 2 months after she had called off her engagement to him. And then you sprang the engagement on her under the guise of wanting to hear Leonard and I out about our relationship." Sara said.

"Going back to the real issue at hand here, Kendra isn't here, so she didn't let you two in. So until we can check the security cameras, we are going with the fact that you two are breaking and entering. But what are you doing here?" Ray asked.

"Barry called and said that there is a threat heading from Central City to Star City, and that he has reason to believe that this threat is after your team." Oliver said.

"What kind of threat?" Leonard asked.

"Some Meta I think." Laurel said with a shrug.

"What kind of Meta?" Sara asked.

"A guy with fire powers." Oliver commented.

"That wouldn't be a Meta. Our team only knows of 3 people that have anything to do with fire. And those are Stein, Jax and Mick." Leonard said with a sigh.

"But I thought Felicity said that you left Stein behind?" Oliver asked.

"Not really _behind_ , per se, more of _ahead_ , but just because he didn't come back to 2016 with us doesn't mean that he wouldn't be able to come back. Rip wasn't exactly thrilled when he found all of us packing up our stuff on the Waverider." Sara commented with a smirk as Leonard and Ray both snorted.

"What is so funny?" Laurel asked.

"Watching your enemies burn."

5 heads whipped around at Mick's voice. While Oliver and Laurel got defensive, Leonard, Sara and Ray simply stared Mick down. Oliver eyed the heat gun that Mick had a firm grasp on while Laurel scoured the surrounding area for vantage points to get to in the event of a fight breaking out. Leonard made eye contact with Ray before his eyes darted to Sara and then back to Ray, silently telling Ray to keep Sara safe, in which Ray nodded. Sara saw the exchange and was about to protest before Leonard pressed a kiss to her lips before turning to face his former partner.

"Mick." Leonard said simply.

"So you remember my name, do you?" Mick replied.

"I never forgot your name Mick." Leonard said.

"You forgot about our partnership; leads one to believe that you would have forgotten my name too." Mick said.

"I didn't forget about that either." Leonard said with a sigh.

"Then why knock me out and force me to leave Star City 2046?" Mick challenged.

"You're his best friend Mick. He wanted you by his side." Sara spoke up causing both Mick and Leonard to turn towards her.

"Stay out of this _Sara_. This is between me and Snart." Mick said.

"Not if you think he chose me over you." Sara replied. "Which, he didn't by the way." She added.

"Sara..." Ray and Leonard warned as she broke away from Ray's light hold on her shoulder.

"If Snart didn't chose you over me, then why did he want to continue on that stupid ass mission?" Mick argued.

"It was never about the mission, or you, or me." Sara explained as she moved to stand in front of Leonard.

"Then what was it about?" Mick snarled.

"It was about trying to make the world a better place for Lisa. Len didn't choose you or me. He chose Lisa. He will always choose Lisa. And the reason he did what he did in 2046 was because he wanted you with him when he did try to make the world a better place for Lisa. Despite how you feel about Len, or even about me or the rest of the team, can't you see why he did what he did? He wanted his best friend by his side to make the world a better place for his sister. You can't honestly tell me that you don't want what's best for Lisa, can you?" Sara asked.

"Is that true Snart? Or do you have her spinning tales for you now?" Mick asked after staring at Sara for a long couple of minutes.

"It's true. You've been my best friend and my partner since I was 14 Mick, I couldn't see myself being able to do what I saw needed to be done without you being there." Leonard replied.

At that, Mick narrowed his eyes at Leonard and Sara before slowly raising his heat gun and aiming it at Sara. It was a split second before Leonard had pushed Sara behind him and had his cold gun pointing at Mick. This wasn't the first time the two former partners had faced off like this, they both knew it, but this was the first time that Leonard was going against Mick to protect someone he loved, and not just because of something that Mick had said or done to piss Leonard off.

"Lower your gun Mick." Leonard challenged.

"You don't have it in you to ice me Snart." Mick shot back.

"You put my girlfriend in the line of fire, with you at the firing end, and you will be surprised what I'm capable of doing." Leonard replied.

"You don't do relationships Snart. You're too scared of what will happen if things get to be too serious. You're too scared of turning into your father to have a lasting relationship." Mick sneered.

"That was who I thought I was. A man who didn't deserve to be happy and in love. I was wrong." Leonard said through clenched teeth.

"Love? You can't be bloody serious Snart. You don't love her. You have no idea how to love someone that isn't in your family." Mick said.

"You don't know the man that I've become. The man that I've tried so hard to not be, but have always been deep down." Leonard said.

"You're right, I don't know you anymore. Which means that I have no reason to spare any of you." Mick said as he fired his gun at Leonard right as Leonard shot his own gun at Mick.

As fire and ice met in the space between the two former friends, Leonard could only think of one thing: Mick Rory was dead to him. He no longer had a best friend. He no longer had a partner. He no longer had a brother. Then he thought about Sara. He had a girlfriend in her. He had a partner in her. He had a future with her. She was going to be the mother of his children. She was his Canary. She was his Assassin. And he was her Criminal. By the time that the frozen beam of fire shattered to the ground, Mick was gone, and Sara was in his arms, both of them holding the other tightly.

"Where the hell is he?" Oliver asked causing the couple to break away from each other.

"Don't know. Don't care." Leonard replied before pressing a kiss to the top of Sara's head.

"How can you not care?" Laurel asked with a scowl.

"Mick is dead to me. He has aimed his gun at the woman I love 2 too many times." Leonard replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh please." Laurel said with an eye roll of her own.

"Our job is to protect this city. And if he's going to be terrorizing this city, then we will be putting an end to that." Oliver said.

"No you're not Oliver." Ray replied.

"Ray, you're a smart guy, and you're a great guy. But things have changed since you and Sara went gallivanting off with some time traveler from the future." Oliver said with a deep breath.

"You're right Oliver, things have changed. But our team knows Mick. And just because he's dead to Leonard doesn't mean that Mick isn't still a member of our team. If anyone is going to put a stop to him terrorizing the city, it's going to be the Legends, not Team Arrow." Ray argued.

"We've been at this longer than your little ragtag team has been together, we'll handle this Ray." Laurel replied.

"No you won't Laurel. Mick isn't a bad guy. He's hurting. He needs to see that we can help him. No one on our team is going to allow Team Arrow to capture Mick and send him to Lian Yu." Sara said.

"Clearly your team doesn't know how to help him. Capturing him and sending him to Lian Yu is the only option that we have to protect this city." Laurel said.

"What's going on here?" Jax asked as he came into the hallway, followed by Stein, Carter and Kendra.

"Mick was here. Oliver and Laurel want to apprehend him and send him off to the island that Oliver and I were shipwrecked on." Sara replied as she folded her arms across her chest and stared her sister down.

"I thought Mick was in 2166." Carter said.

"He was; Rip must have brought him back here." Leonard said with a sigh.

"What are we going to do?" Kendra asked. "We need to help him." She added.

"That's what I said. But _they_ think it would be more beneficial to Star City if they stop him instead of us." Sara explained.

"That's not happening. Mick is a member of our team, if anyone is going to get him to see reason, it's going to be us." Jax said.

"Have you all actually done something as a team that hasn't ended in some kind of destruction?" Oliver asked.

"Yes." Ray said.

"When?" Leonard asked.

"There wasn't any destruction leading up to Professor Stein, Mick and I being captured by Savage's men in Russia. It wasn't until after we were captured and you lot came to save us that the destruction happened. And even then, the destruction wasn't even our fault." Ray said.

"Right, Russia. Where you and Mick were tortured. And I was forced to merge with a madwoman in an attempt create a Soviet Firestorm." Stein said with a nod.

"When the hell were you all in Russia?" Laurel asked.

"That's none of your business." Sara snapped.

"If you want us to leave capturing Mick up to your team, then we need to know how well your team works together." Oliver said.

"Mick might not see it now, but we're his team. We are going to get him to see reason, and then your precious city will be free from his form of destruction." Leonard said.

"There is no way that we are entrusting his capture to you criminal." Laurel spat.

"ENOUGH!" Sara yelled causing Laurel and Oliver to give her a surprised look. "I get that you don't like Leonard because of his past transgressions, but if you ever want a chance to be in your future nieces and nephews' lives when Leonard and I eventually have kids, then you need to get your head out of your ass Laurel. I love him and he loves me. If you still can't see that after he literally just stepped in front of a heat gun to protect me, then _you_ are the problem here, not him. So either get over yourself and try to get to know him, or lose out on ever being considered a part of my family's future." She said as she stepped in between Laurel and Leonard.

"You're pregnant?" Laurel asked.

"No, I'm not pregnant. I said when Leonard and I eventually have kids. We have talked about having kids one day, but if you can't accept him being my boyfriend now, then there is no way you are going to be able to accept him as the father of my future children." Sara said with a roll of her eyes.

"If you cut me out of your life, then know that you are cutting Oliver, Thea, Roy, John and Lyla out of your life as well. And when Oliver and I have our children, they will be cut out of your life too." Laurel said, having the decency to let a few tears fall.

"I have no problem cutting Oliver out of my life. But you have no control over the others. Not to mention the fact that Thea, Roy, John and Lyla haven't betrayed me or Felicity like you two have." Sara replied.

"How long do you think our father will stand by you when he finds out that you've turned your back on me?" Laurel asked.

"You might have a lot in common with dad, but that does not me he favors you over me." Sara said as she clenched her bow staff.

"Can we get back to the issue at hand here? We have a deranged pyromaniac running loose in Star City. We need to find him and apprehend him. If it makes you feel any better Sara, we won't send him to Lian Yu. We can put him in the pipeline at STAR Labs." Oliver suggested.

"No way are you putting Mick with Metahumans. He doesn't do well with them." Leonard said.

"May I remind you that Jefferson and I are a Metahuman?" Stein asked.

"My point exactly. Mick never really liked either of you." Leonard replied.

"Look, Oliver, Laurel, our team knows Mick. We know how to handle him. You fight the threats to the city at night, let us fight them during the day. Can we all agree on that?" Ray asked.

"Fine. Agreed." Oliver said in defeat. "Let's go Laurel. We do have that doctor's appointment." He added.

"Doctor's appointment? Wait, are you pregnant?" Sara asked.

"That's none of your business." Laurel snipped.

"Yet it's your business to know if I am? You are such a hypocrite." Sara said before grasping Leonard's hand in hers and pushing past Laurel and Oliver.

"You know, sooner or later, he's just going to turn back to his old ways and I won't be there when you need someone to talk to." Laurel called over her shoulder.

"Right back at you _sis_." Sara said before pulling Leonard into a searing kiss, knowing full well that her sister was narrowing her eyes at them.


	15. Chapter 15: Wedding Rings

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 15: Wedding Rings

Kendra couldn't believe everything that she had witnessed today. Some snotty little socialite had openly flirted with Carter about buying their apartment right in front of her, despite Carter permanently having his hand laced with hers. Then there was the fight scene in the hallway just off the foyer when they had returned home. But most of all, it was the set of rings that she had come across that matched the engagement ring that Aldus had held onto for her. She hadn't shown them to Carter yet, but now that they were back in their room, and Carter was in the bathroom taking a shower, she couldn't help but take them out to stare at them. A part of her hoped that there would be some indication on the rings that would help them unlock her full power, but so far, they just seemed like ordinary rings. Ordinary rings that and ordinary man would give to the ordinary woman that he loved.

Looking towards the bathroom door to ensure that Carter was still preoccupied, Kendra slipped her rings onto her finger. The way that the light from the windows was reflecting off of the diamond was amazing, and Kendra became mesmerized by it. So much so that she didn't hear the shower turn off, or the bathroom door open, so she therefore did not have time to slip the rings off and hide them before Carter noticed them. But hearing Carter clearing his throat, and looking up to see a pained look on his face, Kendra paled. She hadn't wanted him to see the rings, but she wasn't sure why. Now she had an inkling. Their death in that life must have been gruesome. So gruesome that they both had problems with seeing flashbacks to that life.

"Where did you find those?" Carter asked, his voice breaking.

"When we were at the apartment today, getting our last few things, and trying to sell it, I found these in the bottom of a crate, so I took them. They match the engagement ring that Aldus held onto for me from that life, so they have to be our wedding rings from then, right?" Kendra asked.

"They are… but I can't seem to remember anything else from that life. I can't even recall you ever having been pregnant." Carter replied.

"Do you still want to find out if we had any other kids besides Aldus?" Kendra asked.

"Of course I do. I want to try and piece together every bit of our previous lives as we can." Carter said.

"Carter..." Kendra said slowly as she looked up at him and really took him in.

Since they had gotten him back, there had been something off about him. It was the same person who had laid down his life with her many times before, and it was the same Carter that had tried to use her anger to unleash her powers when they had met for the first time in this life, but there was something that wasn't quite right. Looking between the rings in her hand, and Carter who was standing at the end of the bed, it dawned on her. Not once in the few weeks since they had gotten him back had Carter mentioned them being soulmates, or them being destined to be together. Could his promise to her the day he had died still hold true, that he was going to wait for her, because he knew she was worth it? Was his way of doing that not mentioning their destiny? Whether it was or not, Kendra realized that she hadn't even told him that she loved him.

"What's wrong Kendra?" Carter asked.

"You died before I could tell you how I felt." Kendra said in a small voice. "And you haven't talked about us being soulmates or being destined to be together once since we got you back." She added quickly before Carter could interrupt.

"I haven't said anything about it because you said that you needed time." Carter said as he moved to be standing next to Kendra and took her hands in his.

"I realized that I loved you the same day that you died." Kendra whispered.

"When did you realize that?" Carter asked.

"After you died. It was you dying that made me realize how deep my feelings for you ran." Kendra admitted.

"Yet you went on to have a short lived relationship with Ray." Carter said.

"I didn't move on to him right away. And I only allowed myself to move on because I didn't know if I would see you in this lifetime again. But as soon as I felt you come back, I knew that I couldn't continue a relationship with him when I was still in love with you." Kendra said.

"What made you think that you wouldn't see me in this lifetime again?" Carter asked.

"Because, from what you've told me about our past lives, I've gathered that we've always died together, so I had no idea how to go about still being here with you dead. I didn't know if you were going to come back, or if you would stay dead until I was killed. All of this is still new to me Carter. Since you came into my life this time around, you've been the rock that I've needed to understand my powers. Without you, I felt lost, like a part of me was switched off, and it was hard to unlock the extent of my powers without you around to help coach me." Kendra replied.

"Well, I'm here now. We've already killed Savage in this time, so we can use any free time that we have to train and work on unleashing your potential." Carter said as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Kendra's forehead.

"Carter... would you wear your wedding ring for me?" Kendra asked.

"Of course." Carter replied as Kendra slid the band onto his finger.

"You may now kiss the bride." Kendra muttered under her breath.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Ray was lying in bed, going over some of the specs for what he and Felicity were working on at Palmer Tech when Felicity walked into the bedroom and let out a sigh. Ray didn't hear the sigh, but he saw her movements. And by the time that she was falling onto the mattress, Ray had the specs on his nightstand and was pulling Felicity into his arms and into his lap. As Felicity closed her eyes and allowed her body to melt into Ray's embrace, Ray moved his hands to her shoulders and started to give her a massage.

"I'm sorry for ducking out of the office early. We had a little bit of showdown here." Ray said softly into Felicity's ear.

"What happened?" Felicity asked.

"Well, not only is Mick back, but Laurel and Oliver showed up today to warn us, and things got heated between them, Sara and Leonard; then Mick made his presence known to us, and threatened Sara, so Leonard and Mick had even more of a falling out than they already had, and Team Arrow was wanting to hunt Mick down, apprehend him and send him to Lian Yu, instead of letting us take care of him." Ray explained.

"Team Arrow has no right to try and apprehend Mick. If another team, other than you guys, we're to have that right, it would have been Team Flash." Felicity stated with a more content sigh than before.

"Oliver suggested that instead of sending Mick to Lian Yu were Team Arrow to apprehend him, that they could put him in the pipeline at STAR Labs, but Leonard said no to that because Mick doesn't do well with Metas." Ray replied.

"So what was decided in regards to who would try and stop Mick?" Felicity asked as she leaned further back against Ray's chest, tilted her head back and looked up at him.

"I'm pretty sure that I was able to convince Oliver to let us handle it since our team knows Mick. Plus I got him to agree to let us deal with crime during the day while they deal with crime at night." Ray said.

"You're pretty sure? How are you not completely sure?" Felicity asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oliver agreed to let us handle crime during the day, but he didn't agree to us dealing with Mick." Ray said. "So I really have no idea what was actually decided about that. All that it 100% decided is that no matter who stops Mick, he's not going to Lian Yu, and he's not going in the pipeline." He added.

"Got it." Felicity said with a small nod. "Now it's nap time before dinner." She added as she got up to change out of her work clothes.

Ray watched as Felicity got undressed. Sure they had spent many nights undressing each other, both when they had first been together, and since they got back together, but Ray was always mesmerized by watching Felicity undress herself. Ray wasn't sure if she did this on purpose or not, but even when she wasn't deliberately trying to seduce him, Felicity moved with slow fluidity. It was as he watched her undress that he thought about their future together. He had already designed a custom engagement ring for her, he just needed to have it made and then ask her to marry him. But who said he needed to have the ring before asking. Surely she would be happy that he had one in the works, right?

"Felicity, can I ask you something?" Ray asked.

"Of course. What's on your mind?" Felicity asked as she slid her satin nightgown on over her head.

"Would you be upset if I eventually proposed to you without having an actual ring when I did it?" Ray asked.

"Oh, um, I would be surprised to say the least, but I would want to know why you didn't have the actual ring." Felicity replied as she rejoined him in bed.

"I'm having it custom made." Ray said simply.

"Excuse me?" Felicity asked, concerned that she heard him wrong.

"Felicity, I love you. I don't think I ever stopped. And while I'm not sure I had fallen in love with you before Oliver came back, I know that I have fallen in love with you since we got back together. I'm not asking for an answer right now, but I'm asking if you would at least consider the possibility of marrying me one day. I've been working on designing a custom engagement ring for you over the past few weeks, so it's not made yet, but I do hope that you will give me the chance to have it made, and that you will agree to spend the rest of our lives together. So, Felicity Emily Smoak, will you marry me?" Ray asked.

"Can I see the design?" Felicity asked after a moment or two of processing everything that Ray had just told her.

"Of course. Any input that you have is welcome." Ray said giddily as he pulled the designs from his nightstand drawer and showed them to her.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Sara was back in bed, laying on her side, her back facing Leonard. Their disagreement from earlier still had her a little miffed, and now that they were alone in their room again, Sara couldn't bring herself to look at her boyfriend right now. However, that didn't seem to deter Leonard in the slightest. He had just protected her from his fire-loving ex-partner, and she was giving him the silent treatment. The cold shoulder, if you will. And honestly, Leonard didn't like the feeling of being iced out by the woman who had managed to melt his frozen heart. Sure she had kissed him with a burning passion to piss off her sister, but to go from that, to this, that was too much for Leonard. So he did the only thing he could think of to get his girlfriend to look at him: he rolled her onto her back and straddled her legs, his hands holding her head in place so that she was looking at him.

"What the hell Len?" Sara growled.

"You've been ignoring me since we got back in here. Are you still upset that I didn't want to have sex and fool around earlier, or are you upset that your sister and your ex-boyfriend are engaged and your sister might be pregnant?" Leonard asked.

"Both. But more of pissed off than upset. Now get the hell off of me." Sara said, trying to buck him off, but Leonard was stronger than she was, and he barely budged.

"You know that all we have to do to have sex is to call Caitlin and ask her if we're healed enough for physical activity." Leonard commented with a smirk at her attempt to dislodge him.

"Don't you think it's odd that we have to call your nemesis' girlfriend to ask if we can have sex?" Sara asked as she bucked against him again.

"When you put it that way, yes, it's weird. But Caitlin also offered to be our Doctor, so if the doctor says we can't have sex, then we shouldn't have sex. At least not when there is still the possibility of reopening our wounds." Leonard replied.

"Then get off of me and call her. I want to have sex, and if the arousal pressing against my leg is any indication, you want to have sex too." Sara said with a huff and one final attempt to make her boyfriend get off of her.

"Let me make something very clear my dear Canary, you buck against me one more time out of annoyance, or whatever, and you won't get anything, understand?" Leonard asked as he grabbed Sara's hips and held them still.

"Got it Cold." Sara snipped.

Despite Sara's annoyance, which Leonard found completely adorable (not that he would voice that thought out loud), Leonard leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Of course, Sara was not ready to forgive her boyfriend for his part in her annoyance, but damn it, Leonard's lips were too damn soft and warm to not melt at their touch. So instead of trying to fight him off, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. So what if they couldn't have sex. Kissing Leonard was just as good as anything else that they could get themselves into, so if that's all that she could get, then she was going to take it.

"You willing to forgive me yet Assassin?" Leonard muttered against her lips.

"Maybe. What's it to you Criminal?" Sara asked in response as she kissed along his jawline.

"My happiness for one, our future children for two, three and four." Leonard replied.

"You're ranking our future children now? Don't tell me that you are going to love one more than the other two?" Sara asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"I would never love one more than the other two. Their mother on the other hand... my love for her runs much, much deeper than anything." Leonard said as he rolled onto his back, pulling Sara on top of him.

"Oh really, and what makes you think that their mother loves you as deeply as you love her?" Sara asked as she sat up, straddling Leonard's lap.

"I assume that if we have three children together that I haven't done something to royally screw up that would make her not love me as deeply as I love her. Not even putting her health before my wants and needs." Leonard said, all joking aside.

"Really Len?" Sara asked with a sigh as she got off of Leonard, laid back down on her side of the bed and turned her back to him again.

"Come on Sara, how can you be mad that that's what I'm doing?" Leonard asked as he scooted over and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're not supposed to care about stuff like that, you're a crook." Sara said with a pout.

"You can't seriously ask me not to care about your well-being Sara." Leonard said, completely shocked.

"Actually, I can. Where's the man I fell in love with?" Sara snapped as she glared at him over her shoulder.

"Are you being serious right now Sara? You are letting something as petty as me wanting to make sure that you are okay, and your sister taunting you about me reverting to my criminal ways that you are acting like a child to get me to do just that. I am still the same man you fell in love with. I'm sorry that as time goes on the cold persona I put on has melted away, but I've always been this man. So take it, or leave it." Leonard said as he pushed away from her and got out of bed, grabbing his pillow and a blanket.

"Where are you going?" Sara asked.

"Obviously you don't want to share a bed with a man you didn't fall in love with, so I'm sleeping on the couch over here." Leonard said.

"Len…" Sara said slowly.

"Let me know once you've figured out what you want." Leonard replied.

"I want you. But I want all of you. The cold persona included. It's that persona that first drew me in. It was seeing the man behind it that kept me captivated." Sara said.

"You have a funny way of showing it Canary." Leonard said with a sigh.

"Please come back to bed." Sara begged.

"Are you still mad that I won't have sex with you?" Leonard asked.

"No! And I never really was. I was disappointed and then Laurel and Oliver showed up, and that disappointment turned into annoyance, and I took that annoyance out on you." Sara said. "I'm sorry. You know how frustrating siblings can be." She added as she hurried over to him and tried to pull him back towards the bed.

"Sara..." Leonard said warningly.

"Please Lenny?" Sara asked.

"Only Lisa gets to call me Lenny." Leonard said sharply but let out a sigh when Sara recoiled at his tone. "I'm sorry. Remember, this whole relationship thing is still new to me, it's going to take some time before we work out the little kinks." He said as he placed his hands on Sara's upper arms and rubbed them lightly.

"Honestly Len, this serious of a relationship is still new to me too. But if we are going to make this work, then we have to really talk about what makes the other tick so that way we aren't putting ourselves into the same arguments all the time." Sara said with a sigh. "Fighting between couples is good, but constant fighting, and/or fighting about the same thing, is not." She added.

"I agree 100%." Leonard said as he lightly pulled her towards him.

"Can we go to bed now?" Sara asked softly.

"Of course." Leonard said with a smile and a light kiss to Sara's forehead.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Lisa was looking everywhere for Mick. She had been the one that had let Laurel and Oliver into the house, and then she had hidden herself from the mess that was caused by Mick's appearance. She knew that no one on the Legends team was going to be able to reach Mick, at least not in the mindset that he was currently in, and Team Arrow had an even lesser chance than that. So Lisa, who considered herself to be an honorary member of the Legends team, took it upon herself to try and find Mick. She knew that if anyone in the house had a chance of actually finding Mick and getting him to come to his senses, that it would be her. The only problem was that Star City was still new to Lisa, and to Mick, and there was no guarantee that Mick was even still in Star City, so Lisa knew that it was going to at least a nightlong search for the hothead, if not longer.

As luck would have it, Lisa didn't have to go very far to find Mick. When he had slipped out during the argument, he hadn't gone far. In fact, he hadn't even technically left the house, having gone to the underground garage. Mick was a part of the team, whether he and Leonard were still on good terms or not, so he was trespassing. He hadn't broken in. Everyone that had been recruited by Rip still considered him to be a part of the team, so their top notch security system had given him access. Access that Mick was going to take full advantage of. What surprised him however, was when he saw Lisa there. If Mick was to be honest with himself, which he usually was, he had had a crush on Lisa Snart since he had first met her... way back when she had come to visit Leonard in juvie. Mick had spent many nights after that imagining her cute little face, trying to figure out just how the hell she was related to Leonard Snart.

"Mick, there you are." Lisa said, causing the pyromaniac to jump into a defensive position, his heat gun pointed at her.

"What are you doing here Lisa?" Mick asked, slightly lowering his gun when he realized who it was.

"I live here." Lisa said simply.

"I mean down here, in the garage, talking to me. Shouldn't you be upstairs getting it on with Fire Boy?" Mick asked, jealousy clearing dripping into his words.

"Jax and the Professor headed back to Central City after all of the commotion you caused." Lisa said as she walked closer to him. "Plus, I was worried about you Mick. I'm worried about Lenny too, but he has Sara to straighten him out and to worry about him. Who do you have Mick?" she asked, coming to a stop right at the end of Mick's gun.

"Hopefully you. If your promise to me years ago still holds true." Mick replied as he lowered his gun completely and pulled Lisa to him, wrapping her in a hug.

"You know I never break a promise Mick. Especially the promises that I make to you and my brother." Lisa said with a smile as she wrapped her arms tightly around his middle.

"Then what are we going to do about Snart and Lance? They have gotten awfully close since they were both taken by Savage's men." Mick said when they pulled apart.

"Honestly Mick, I think they're good for each other. People do change, whether that's their plan or not, and while Lenny's original plan for your guys' time mission was to be able to steal from places before there was fingerprint analysis or whatever, he started to fall for Sara, and he let his true self come through. To be the man that she deserves. I know that they call each other Criminal and Assassin, but with their pasts, those are their pet names for each other. They have a very unconventional relationship, I'll give you that, and at face value, a crook and an assassin probably shouldn't work out in the long run, but if you really care about Lenny at all, then you would want him to be happy. I know that that's what I want for him. And I want that for you too Mick. Setting aside the moniker that Cisco gave you, and your love of fire and things burning, what makes you happy, deep down?" Lisa asked.

"Ever since my accident, I haven't been able to set aside my fascination with fire. It's consumed me to the point where I don't know who I am without it." Mick admitted. Lisa was the only one that he could admit something like that to. Not even Leonard would have been able to receive that level of honesty.

"Then I'm going to work with you until we figure that out. I'm not going to give up on you Mick. I promise you that." Lisa said as she placed a small kiss on Mick's cheek before taking his hand and leading him back upstairs, hoping that the rest of the team members were already in their rooms.


	16. Chapter 16: Overheard Misunderstandings

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 16: Overheard Misunderstandings

It didn't take the team long to notice that Kendra and Carter had started sporting wedding rings. Or that they spent a lot of their free time looking into their previous lives as to try and find any other children or family that they could. In fact, it was Leonard who noticed it first, and being the ass that he could be, had to verbalize his observation. Of course, when he had first said something, both Kendra and Carter had the decency to blush slightly, but now that it was out there that they were moving forward with their relationship in this life, everyone started putting their two-cents worth of suggestions of what they could do once they found any other family members. However, despite the fact that Ray had proposed to Felicity, knowing that Kendra and Carter were wearing their wedding rings again bothered him. Felicity still hadn't given him a set answer, and he understood why, but he also felt like things had never really been resolved between him and Kendra. Which is why he asked if he could talk to her in the hallway.

"What's going on Ray?" Kendra asked. She didn't seem nearly as conflicted about their short lived romance as he was.

"You're wearing a wedding ring from a life you lived decades ago." Ray stated.

"I think Leonard made that pretty obvious in the kitchen." Kendra said slowly giving him an odd look.

"Kendra, we had barely started our relationship when you felt Carter come back. And we never really talked after that. You woke up in the morning being my girlfriend, pretending to be my wife, and by that night, you were back with Carter." Ray elaborated.

"Ray... do you think I would have been able to live with myself, or put you and Carter through something that awful, if I continued to be in a relationship with you, knowing that I loved Carter and that he was alive? I know that I handled everything horribly, and I'm sorry about that, but I couldn't bring myself to allow our relationship to continue and possibly hurt you even worse later on. Besides, you're back with Felicity, and I can tell that you two are really happy being together." Kendra explained with a sigh after realizing what was bothering Ray.

"So instead of actually telling me all of this to begin with, you gave me a basic reasoning for why we were cutting our mission short, and you ran right back to Carter. That makes me feel so much better Kendra." Ray said with a tired sigh.

"What do you want me to say Ray? That I never loved you and that you were just a temporary replacement until I found Carter again? Would that make things easier? Would that make things better? Because I can't do that. I did love you, and you weren't temporary. But you have no right to be upset with me when you are in that same kind of predicament that I was in with Felicity. You loved her, she loved you, then Oliver came back, but... He. Screwed. Up. You got Felicity back, and instead of being happy with getting her back, you're moping that Carter and I are wearing our wedding rings again. You are one of the smartest guys that I know Ray, but you need to see what you have in front of you, rather than continuously focusing on the past. Be happy with Felicity. I know that she can make you way happier than I would ever be able to." Kendra said before giving him a small kiss on the cheek and then walking back into the kitchen.

As for the rest of the team, they made a horrible show of not having been eavesdropping on the conversation. And while Leonard, Sara and Lisa started having a clearly faked conversation when Kendra walked back into the kitchen, the looks on both Carter and Felicity's faces broke Kendra's heart. And while she could read the look on Carter's face as being a look of hurt-understanding, she couldn't read the look on Felicity's face. It looked like a cross between feeling betrayed and relief. Betrayed that even after a month and a half of them having been back together, and Ray having even proposed to her, that he was still hurting over his sudden break up with Kendra; and relief that Kendra was telling him that he was meant to be with Felicity. But even with that, Felicity knew that her avoidance of giving Ray an answer to his proposal was part of the reason that he was still lingering on his brief relationship with Kendra. He had Felicity back, but at the same time, he didn't fully feel like he could say that he had her back because he had asked her to marry him, and she hadn't given him an answer yet.

Briskly walking past everyone, Felicity needed to get out of the kitchen. She waited until she was a short way down the hall before she took off at a sprint to get to the garage that was located beneath the building. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone on the team right now. Especially not Ray. But as she reached her destination, Felicity realized that she had very few places that she could go without Ray being able to easily find her. Her apartment and Palmer Tech were both out of the question, both being the first places that her boyfriend would look for her, but where else could she go? She was siding with Sara on the whole Laurel and Oliver situation, for the exact same reasons as Sara, so Laurel's apartment was out. As she got into her car however, Felicity realized that Laurel would have moved in with Oliver if they were engaged and possibly pregnant, so maybe Thea and Roy would be at Laurel's old place.

Pulling out of the garage, Felicity called Thea and impatiently drummed her fingers on the steering wheel while she listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. As the phone continued to ring, Felicity started to panic. The longer it took Thea to answer, the less time she had to get away and think. The longer it took Thea to answer, the less options she had to go somewhere else. Finally, the ringing stopped. But it wasn't Thea answering the phone, it was the answering machine. _'Damn it.'_ Felicity cursed in her head.

" _You've reached Thea. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message. BEEP."_

"Thea, Roy, it's Felicity. If either of you are there, please pick up... come on guys, pick up, pick up, pick up. I really need to come..." Felicity said.

" _Felicity, what's wrong?"_ Thea asked.

"I really need to talk, is it okay if I come over?" Felicity asked.

" _Of course. You know you don't have to call first, right? You're welcome to come over at any time."_ Thea replied.

"I didn't want to walk in on you and Roy..." Felicity trailed off.

" _Oh, right. Yeah, that would have been awkward. But we just got back from going out for breakfast, so come on over."_ Thea said again.

"Thanks, I'll be there shortly." Felicity said before finally pulling out onto the street and making her way to Thea's apartment.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Ray was freaking out. He had seen Felicity run by him, and from the brief glimpse at the look on her face, he knew that she had heard his conversation with Kendra. And it hurt knowing that Felicity being upset was because of him. He knew that she was wary about accepting his proposal because of her failed engagement with Oliver, and why said engagement had ended, but he hadn't meant to keep his uneasiness of his relationship with Kendra from Felicity. The only thing that Ray had in common with Oliver, other than Felicity, was that they were both rich... Of course, when Ray had seen Felicity run by, he had wanted to go after her, comfort her and tell her that just because he wanted closure with Kendra didn't change the way that he felt about her, Ray was rooted in his spot by the look that he saw on his girlfriend's face.

It was an hour after Felicity had ran by him, and not seeing her since that Ray was now freaking out. He couldn't ping Felicity's phone to find out where she was, because she had most likely turned it off. He doubted that she would go to the office or to her apartment, she was much too smart to go to either of those two places. He knew for a fact that she wouldn't go to Oliver and Laurel's because of obvious reasons, so who did that leave? Thea and Roy? Maybe, but Ray had no idea where they were living, or even if they lived together. So, instead, Ray went about the house, looking for his teammates to ask if any of them knew where the young couple lived. It wasn't until he reached Sara and Leonard's room that he got any kind of leeway in his search for Felicity.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but do either of you know where Thea and/or Roy live? I haven't seen Felicity since she ran out of here earlier and I'm worried that she might have gotten the wrong impression upon overhearing mine and Kendra's conversation this morning." Ray said after knocking on the doorframe and sticking his head into the room.

"Do you know where Laurel used to live?" Sara asked.

"Uh, no, I don't." Ray said with a shake of his head.

"Well, that's where Thea and Roy live." Sara replied with a smirk.

"I just said that I don't know where Laurel lived." Ray retorted.

"You better get a move on Boy Scout." Leonard said as he made a 'shooing' motion with his hand before closing the door in Ray's face.

"Come on guys! Just tell me where Laurel lived and I'll gladly leave you alone." Ray complained through the door.

"Can't you just look it up on the computer or something?" Lisa asked as she leaned against her own doorframe across the hall.

"Laurel is an ADA; I think their addresses are kept confidential." Ray said with a sigh.

"Well, then, can't you call her? Or Oliver? I'm sure being friends with the Green Arrow and Black Canary comes with having their phone numbers." Lisa commented.

"You know; your brother is right about me. At times, I am an idiot." Ray said as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to Oliver's number.

"Say that a little bit louder Raymond." Leonard said through the closed door.

"Not happening Leonard." Ray shot back.

With a grateful smile at Lisa, Ray walked away as he hit Oliver's contact info and listened to the ringing. It wasn't too long before Oliver was answering.

" _Is everything okay with Felicity?"_ Was the first thing out of Oliver's mouth and it pissed Ray off.

"I'm not calling to talk about Felicity. I just need to know Laurel's old address." Ray said with a sigh. "Plus, you don't get to ask that anymore. Your screwed up your final chance with her." He reminded his friend.

" _If you aren't calling to talk about Felicity, then why do you need Laurel's old address?"_ Oliver asked.

"Because I need to go talk to Thea and Roy, and I don't have either of their numbers." Ray replied.

" _What do you need to talk to them about?"_ Oliver asked.

"What's with the interrogation Oliver? Because it's really none of your business what I have to talk to them about. Now are you going to give me the address or not?" Ray asked, completely annoyed at this point.

" _I'm sorry Ray, but Laurel's an ADA, her address is classified."_ Oliver said after a couple of moments of silence.

"Then give me Thea or Roy's number." Ray demanded.

" _I can't do that either. Do you really think that I'm the kind of guy that would give my baby sister's number to someone without her knowledge?"_ Oliver asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you Oliver? You're acting like you're jealous of Felicity and I all over again. You are engaged to Laurel, and she's pregnant. So stop being a jackass and just give me something." Ray shouted.

Ray's voice had steadily gotten louder, drawing his teammates out into the hallway to see what was wrong. It didn't escape Ray's notice that Sara and Leonard both had their weapons at the ready, just in case. Oliver had gone silent on the other end of the line, and Ray was worried that he had stepped over the line. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ray took a deep breath.

"Look Oliver, while this isn't your business, you are clearly not going to give me the information that I'm looking for without giving you something in return. And while I thought that we were past all of this pettiness of fighting over a girl like we're in high school, I will tell you. I said some things that I had never intended for Felicity to hear that she did hear. She is smart enough to turn off her cell phone so that I can't track her, but I need to apologize and explain myself, and I can't do that if I can't get to her. So please, stop being a jerk, and just tell me what the address is, or give me Thea or Roy's number." Ray said.

" _Ray, if Felicity overheard you say something that you hadn't meant for her to hear, then you need to wait until she comes back to talk to her. Give her time to calm down. I know that she loves you, despite what you said that she overheard. She'll be back."_ Laurel said and Ray was fuming.

"Seriously? You have me on f-ing speaker!?" Ray yelled.

" _I don't keep things from Laurel. So yes, I do have you on speaker."_ Oliver replied.

"Forget it. Forget that I ever thought that there was a time that we were friends. You are dead to me Oliver." Ray said before ended the call before turning and throwing his phone against the far wall, barely missing Mick as he stepped out of Lisa's room.

"What's going on here?" Mick asked.

"Nothing Mick." Lisa said quickly, trying to get him back into her room before anyone really realized that it was Mick.

"Hold it." Leonard snapped.

"Lenny..." Lisa whined.

"He's been here? In your room?" Leonard asked, his gaze shifting from Lisa to Mick.

"I'm a big girl Lenny. I can have boys in my room. And you're not really one to judge. You and Sara share a room." Lisa argued.

"Sara is my girlfriend. Are you telling me that Mick is your boyfriend?" Leonard challenged.

"So what if I am? Again, I'm a big girl. I don't have to run all of my choices by you." Lisa said.

"Guys, where's Ray?" Kendra asked.

"And where's Sara?" Leonard asked, realizing that his girlfriend was MIA as well.

"Blondie went with the Boy Scout. Probably to bring him to Laurel's old place. Despite everything that's been going on, Laurel is still her sister, and she does still know where her sister used to live." Mick pointed out.

"No one asked for your input." Leonard snapped.

"Well, I'm clearly the only one who knew that answers as to where the others went." Mick bit back.

"Alright, that's enough. You both need to get over whatever the hell you think happened between you. You two are best friends... brothers, practically! Both of you need to get off of your damn high horses and settle this dispute like the grown ass men that you are. I will go with Carter and Kendra to get Ray and Sara, and possibly Felicity; you two are staying here and working your shit out." Lisa snapped as she stepped between her brother and, for lack of a better word, lover, before they pulled their weapons on each other again. "And to stop you two from resorting to destroying this house, I'll be taking the guns." She added grabbing Mick's gun and then Leonard's.

"You can't tell us what to do." Mick commented.

"Can't I? You two are acting like children. You are both in your 40's, so act your damn ages." Lisa snapped before turning to the only other couple standing in the hallway. "Would you two mind taking these two idiots to the training room, and locking them in their until we get back? This is the nicest place I've ever lived and I really don't want to come back to it in an hour or so to find it destroyed." She said with a sweet smile at Kendra and Carter, both of whom were eyeing the guns that Lisa still held in her hands. "Don't worry, they both have the safety on." She said with a small smile seeing where the hawk couple's eyes were looking.

"I ain't going to the training room. If Sara is gone, even if it was to bring Ray to Felicity, then I'm going to get her. Ray told Oliver and Laurel where Felicity was, and that he was trying to get to her, and they both know that if Felicity is there, that the only one who lives here who knows where the apartment is would Sara. I am not going to risk my girlfriend's bloodlust getting the better of her and hurting someone she cares about. So I'm going with." Leonard said firmly as he held his hand out for his cold gun.

"No gun Lenny." Lisa said simply as she turned her body away from her brother.

"I need my gun Lisa. If Sara's blood lust rises, she expects me to there to ice her. I can't do that if I don't have my gun." Leonard argued.

"You really have a dysfunctional relationship with the assassin if she expects you to ice her if she can't control her blood lust." Lisa commented.

"I didn't exactly have a great example of a normal relationship. But this is the way mine and Sara's relationship. Now give me my cold gun." Leonard said.

"Can we just get going please?" Carter asked.

"Carter's right, the longer we're here, the more likely Laurel and Oliver will get there and agitate Sara." Kendra agreed.

"None of us know where to go." Lisa pointed out.

"I'm sure we can call the Boy Scout or Sara and ask them to tell us." Leonard said.

"Then let's do that." Carter said as he headed towards the garage.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The ride to Thea and Roy's apartment was a silent one for Ray and Sara. They had never really spent time together, just the two of them, so it was a bit odd for it to come down to Sara taking Ray to find Felicity. It was made even more awkward by the fact that Ray was sitting in the passenger seat, fiddling with the window while Sara drove. The window going down slightly and then back up and then down even more again was really starting to irritate Sara since she could see it happening out of the corner of her eye. Instead of saying something to Ray, instead of asking him politely to stop, Sara discreetly turned the child lock on the windows on.

"HEY!" Ray exclaimed like a child as he turned towards her with a pout.

"It was getting annoying Ray." Sara defended her action.

"But I'm bored." Ray complained.

"Then find something else to entertain yourself. Or sit still for a few more minutes because we're almost there." Sara said with a sigh.

"What if Felicity won't let me explain? What if she hates me? What if she responds to my proposal with a no? What if I lost her forever?" Ray asked.

"I don't know what to tell you Ray. Felicity's my friend, but we were never all that close. That might change given that my dad and her mom are dating, but I'm not sure of that either. All you can do is try. And if she does listen, don't pull a stunt like you did this morning ever again." Sara said as she pulled up to the curb outside of the apartment building.

"I can't do this Sara." Ray said as he looked up at the building through the window.

"You can, and you will." Sara said as she turned the car off and unbuckled her seatbelt.

As Sara sat there, waiting for Ray to unbuckle his seatbelt, and then finally realizing that he wasn't going to, Sara rolled her eyes and did it for him before getting out of the car and walking around to the other side to get Ray out of the car. When she opened the door however, she hadn't realized just how much of Ray's body had been leaning against the door and the window, so when she opened the door, the tech billionaire stumbled out and onto the sidewalk.

"Crap, sorry Ray." Sara said despite the smile that was trying to break free on her face.

"I'm fine." Ray said as he quickly jumped up, looking around to make sure no one other than Sara had seen it.

"Come on. Let's go see Felicity." Sara said as she closed the car door behind her friend and locked it before grabbing Ray's arm and pulling him towards the building's front door.

"Sara... I really can't do this." Ray said, looking more and more panic-stricken with each step they took towards the stairwell.

"Ray, man the hell up. You love Felicity, right?" Sara asked.

"More than anything." Ray replied automatically.

"And the stunt you pulled this morning was just getting closure from Kendra, correct?" Sara asked.

"Yes." Ray said.

"Then tell her that. You've already proposed to her, so there's nothing to worry about." Sara said.

"I've proposed, but she hasn't given me an answer yet." Ray commented.

"For good reason. Her last fiancé is an asshole. Trust me, I know from personal experience. Felicity needs a guy who will admit that he made a mistake and will do whatever he can to make amends with her. Oliver failed to do that on many occasions. Don't be like Oliver." Sara reasoned. "If you show her what she means to you, you will have nothing to worry about." She said again.

"You're right, I know you're right, but I can't help but think that she won't see it the same way." Ray said sullenly.

"For goodness sake's Ray, be the bigger man." Sara said with a grunt as she grabbed his arm again, stepped into the hallway from the stairwell and led him down the hall towards Thea and Roy's apartment.

As the duo reached the door, and Sara was about to knock, her phone went off with Leonard's ringtone. While she scrambled to pull it out of her pocket, Ray recognized the song as Britney Spears' _Criminal_ and he couldn't help but laugh, to which Sara shot him a glare. Hitting the answer button and putting the phone to her ear, Sara knocked.

"Yes Len?" Sara asked.

" _Where are you and Ray currently?"_ Leonard asked.

"Outside Thea and Roy's apartment, why?" Sara asked as the door swung open to reveal a surprised looking Thea. "He's here to apologize to Felicity." She added to her friend before lightly pushing Ray forward.

" _And where exactly is their apartment? Because we realized after you and Ray left that Ray mentioned to Oliver and Laurel where Felicity was, and we think that they might head over, or at least Oliver might head over, and I want to be there in case you need me."_ Leonard replied and Sara heard the words that her boyfriend didn't say: to ice you.

"That's sweet honey, but I'm sure I can handle it if he shows up." Sara said.

" _I'm serious Sara. What if Queen shows up and a fight breaks out between him and Ray over Felicity? What if, for some reason, you get pulled into it, and go after Thea? I don't want to risk losing you again because Queen doesn't know when he's lost something."_ Leonard said with a sigh.

"Whose car are you in?" Sara asked.

" _Kendra and Carter's."_ Leonard replied.

"Turn the GPS on and ping my phone, it'll give you the directions to the apartment." Sara explained.

" _See you soon darling."_ Leonard said before hanging up.

With a shake of her head, Sara headed into the apartment. Before she could close the door however, she heard the distinct sound of the elevator door sliding opening at the far end of the hall and saw Oliver and Laurel step off. _'Damn it. Len was right.'_ Sara thought as she hurriedly closed the door and leaned against it.

"What's wrong?" Thea asked.

"Oliver and Laurel just got here." Sara explained.

"And what's so wrong with that?" Roy asked.

" _Someone_ let it slip to them where Felicity was, and Oliver didn't sound to be quite over her yet, despite the fact that he is engaged to Laurel, and they might be pregnant. So while the rest of the team who was at the house is on their way here, Oliver and Laurel are currently heading down the hall. Roy, just in case a fight breaks out, keep Thea away from me." Sara explained just as a knock sounded on the door.

"Why are you knocking Ollie? I still have a key." Laurel said from the other side of the door.

"It's still polite. You do remember that my sister and her boyfriend are living here, just the two of them now, don't you?" Oliver asked as the lock started to turn.

"Ray, Felicity is in the guest bedroom, go talk to her there. Sara, why don't you go with him." Roy suggested.

"Good idea." Sara said with a nod as she led Ray to the guest bedroom.

"Did we just hear Sara's voice?" Laurel asked as she and Oliver came into the living room.

"Why does it matter?" Thea asked.

"Speedy, relax, we just came over because we heard that Felicity was upset and we wanted to make sure that she was okay." Oliver said as he took a step towards his sister.

"Honestly Ollie, you two don't get to check up on her anymore. You went behind her back just after she called off the engagement and slept with each other. And now, on top of being engaged so soon after you got back together, Sara says that you two might be pregnant? And while I would love to be an aunt, think about how that is affecting Felicity." Thea said.

"She's still our friend Thea." Laurel replied.

"Friends wouldn't do that to each other Laurel." Sara commented.

"So you are here." Oliver said.

"Of course I am. How else would Ray have gotten here since you were being a stubborn asshole and wouldn't give him anything?" Sara asked.

"And to add to what Thea was saying, think about the fact that Felicity would eventually become that step-aunt to her ex-fiancé's kid. Did you both forget that mine and Laurel's father is dating Felicity's mom?" Sara asked.

"How did you know that?" Laurel asked, narrowing her eyes at her younger sister.

"Dad told me. And frankly, at this point, I'd rather have Felicity as a sister then you." Sara snapped.

"Don't talk to her like that." Oliver said stepping between the two sisters.

"Don't try to tell me what to do Oliver. You have no say in how I talk to her." Sara retorted.

"That's enough!" Roy exclaimed. "All of this arguing and fighting amongst each other has to stop. It's just leading to families and friendships being ripped apart. Laurel, you need to get over the fact that Sara is dating an ex-con. Oliver, you need to get your head out of your ass and stop trying to control everything, especially the things that have nothing to do with you. And both of you need to stop trying to be friends with Felicity right now. You both hurt her in a really deep way, and she's experiencing trust issues in her relationship with Ray because of what you two did. Now, I need to ask the two of you to please leave." He said.

"Wow Roy, I didn't know you had the balls to stand up to Oliver, let alone yell at him." Thea said with a smirk.

"But he's right. All we're doing is pulling our friendships down by trying to control things that we have no control over and not taking a step back and seeing the big picture." Oliver said with a sigh.

"I'm not going to condone my baby sister dating criminal." Laurel said.

"First of all, I'm not a baby. Second of all, he's an ex-criminal. Third of all, you don't have to condone it, you just need to accept that I love Leonard Snart and that Leonard Snart loves me." Sara said with a roll of her eyes.

"I take it we're just in time?" Leonard asked as he stepped into the apartment and hurried over to where Sara was standing.

"Roy actually got the situation under control. But thank you for being so concerned." Sara explained before pressing her lips to his in a small kiss.

"Anytime darling." Leonard whispered.

"The least we can do right now is get to know him Laurel." Oliver said as he watched the exchange between the couple.

"I'm sorry Ollie but I can't do that." Laurel said with a shake of her head.

"I asked you both to leave." Roy commented.

"This is still my apartment." Laurel replied.

"Laurel, let's go home. You're not thinking straight right now." Oliver said as he took her hand in his and led her out of the room.

"This isn't over Sara!" Laurel called out from the hallway.

"Of course it's not." Sara muttered as she rested her head against Leonard's chest.

"Thank you for keeping the situation contained." Leonard said with an appreciative nod to Roy.

"Of course." Roy replied with a nod back.


	17. Chapter 17: Down the Aisle

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 17: Down the Aisle

Ray was standing in the doorway of the guest room at Thea and Roy's apartment, just staring at Felicity while she stared back at him with a hard glare. He wasn't supposed to have been able to find her. At least not until she was ready to be found. And she hadn't wanted to be found until she was ready to confront Ray on what she had overheard that morning. But a small part, in the back of her mind, reminded her that Ray was one of the smartest guys she knew, and that he would be able to figure out where she had gone and how to get to her. Felicity was doing everything she could to ignore that voice of reason. So instead, she kept her ground and glared at him.

"I know what you overheard this morning Felicity, and I'm not going to tell you that what you heard was wrong, because that would be a lie. What I am going to tell you is that you misunderstood the reasoning behind my conversation with Kendra." Ray said simply, resisting the urge to walk over to her.

"You still have feelings for Kendra, and you feel betrayed that she went back to Carter." Felicity snapped.

"I _felt_ betrayed. Past tense. As in, when it first happened. I still care about her, yes, but I want her to be happy, and she's happiest when she's with Carter. I just didn't get closure from her when she went back to Carter. That's what I was looking for this morning. And the only reason that I even like that that was a necessity was because I'm not even sure where we, you and I, stand as a couple. I proposed to you, and understandably, you haven't given me an answer. Not even a 'I need some time'. You just haven't given me anything Felicity. I love _you_. I want to marry _you_. But I don't like being in a spot where the woman that I love can't give me an answer on whether or not she'll marry me, and the woman that I care deeply about is happy with another guy. You know me Felicity, and you know that I don't exactly have the best self-esteem at times." Ray explained.

"Why couldn't you have asked Kendra for closure before you proposed to me?" Felicity asked.

"Because I hadn't thought about the fact that you might need time to fully get over the hurt and betrayal of your previous engagement before I proposed, and therefore, didn't think I would need closure from Kendra." Ray responded.

"So... what? You came here to get my answer?" Felicity asked.

"No... I know, and fully realize now, that you still need time before you give me your answer. I came here to explain what you heard, and to make sure that you're okay. I hate that you think that I'm keeping things from you, because that was never my intention. It was something that I realized I was feeling, and I reacted to that feeling. I didn't think things through, or think about the consequences. But then I saw the hurt look on your face as you ran past me towards the garage, and I couldn't reach you on your cell, or track your cell, and I started to get worried. I realized that I had inadvertently hurt you, and that hurt me." Ray said.

"What do you expect me to say Ray?" Felicity questioned.

"Nothing. I never expect you to do anything. If you can forgive me now, that would be great; if you can't, then that's fine too. If you can give me an answer now, one way or the other, that would be great too; if you can't because of what Oliver and Laurel did, then I'll understand, and I'll wait for you to have your decision." Ray said as he finally took a step into the room, reaching towards Felicity.

"The reason that I haven't given you an answer to your proposal has nothing to do with Oliver and Laurel. It has everything to do with the fact that we just got back together. And we hadn't been together for very long before we broke up to begin with. There is still so much that we have to experience together before I think we'll both be ready to be engaged to each other and be married. We've both been engaged to other people, and while the circumstances surrounding the ends of both of our previous engagements are vastly different, we are still coming off of those losses that we need more time to be a couple before we become an engaged couple." Felicity replied with a sigh as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Ray's waist.

"We'll do whatever you want us to do Felicity." Ray muttered before wrapping her in his arms and placing a small kiss on the top of her head.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The two weeks following Ray and Felicity's agreement went as smoothly as it could possibly go for all of the couples. At least the couples who were living together in Star City. The same could not be said for Stein and his wife. As it turned out, while she understood his need to be around Jax, Stein's insistence that the young man needed him around for more than their connection had gotten to be too much for her. And when given the ultimatum of having to choose to be Firestorm or staying together, and Stein had chosen to be Firestorm, Clarissa had left. Filing for divorce shortly after. It wasn't until Stein, along with Jax and Jax's mom had moved to Star City- Stein into the house with the rest of the team, and Jax and his mom nearby- and had been living there for a couple weeks that the rest of the team found out the truth. And needless to say, they weren't entirely surprised by the news.

"Are you all telling me that you expected my wife to file for divorce?" Stein asked as he looked around at the rest of the team.

"Not necessarily divorce, at most we thought she would want to get a legal separation... given how many times you've left her behind for extended periods of time." Leonard replied.

"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to imply Mr. Snart?" Stein questioned with a pointed glare.

"After the Particle Accelerator went off, you and Ronnie were confused and were a hermit... it wasn't until you followed Caitlin that one time that Team Flash pieced together what happened. And that took close to a year or so before that even happened." Jax commented.

"Are you siding with them Jefferson?" Stein asked in astonishment.

"And then there was when you and Ronnie went off to Pittsburg to get better control of your powers, only to come back and have that singularity show up, leading to Ronnie's death." Jax continued as if Stein hadn't said anything.

"Jefferson, really, I hardly consider that to be..." Stein tried.

"And then you almost died since you didn't have another half, which is where I come in, and again, we left to go to Pittsburg so that I could learn how to use our powers. And it was in Pittsburg that Rip first abducted us. And when we returned to Central City, it was with the possibility of leaving again for an undetermined about of time and with no guarantee that we would be back. And the slim possibility of staying was ripped away the second you drugged me. Clarissa never had a say in any of it. She understood plenty, but that didn't change the fact that you never asked for her opinion on any of the things that she could- and should- have had a say in." Jax finished.

"So you're saying that had I talked to her before making up my mind on things that were important to me, that there is a chance that she wouldn't be filing for divorce now?" Stein asked.

"It's likely." Jax replied with a shrug.

"And there's nothing that I can do to change her mind on the matter at this point." Stein said with a defeated sigh.

"Probably not. Sorry Professor." Leonard said, earning a backhanded smack on the arm from Sara.

"Show a little bit of compassion, won't ya? The man's hurting Snart." Sara retorted.

"This is me showing compassion Lance." Leonard said with a shrug.

"I'm sorry that this happening to you Professor, I know how hard it is to go through a divorce." Sara said with a small, sympathetic smile. "We're here if you need someone to talk to." She added.

"Hm, you know what it's like to go through a divorce? Is there something you aren't telling me Assassin?" Leonard asked.

"Yes Criminal, I was madly in love with someone before I met you, we ran away to elope, and went through a really painful divorce. All between my almost dying when the Queen's Gambit sank, almost dying on Lian Yu, joining the League, having a secretive whirlwind romance with Nyssa al Ghul, returning to Star City, reconnecting with Oliver and my family, going back to the League, and then being killed, being dead for a year, being brought back, having my soul being returned to my body and Rip abducting me from Tibet to recruit us for his stupid little mission and falling in love with you." Sara said before turning on her heel and storming out of the living room.

"You know she was referring to her parents, correct?" Felicity asked.

"Of course I did." Leonard said before following Sara out of the room. "I just didn't realize how sensitive she was to the subject." He muttered to himself as he headed towards his and Sara's room.

The entire walk from the living room to their room had Leonard's mind reeling. He really hadn't meant to make Sara upset, he had simply meant his comment as a joke. He knew that she had been referring to her parents' divorce, but Sara had never told him how hard their divorce had been for her. Thinking back on it, he wasn't even sure if Sara had been around for the divorce. And with that thought, Leonard mentally kicked himself. It had been Sara's supposed death that had been the breaking point in her parents' divorce. Sara had mentioned something about that in passing. _'No wonder she got so upset. I can be a really crappy boyfriend at times.'_ Leonard thought sullenly as his footsteps slowed down as he reached their bedroom door. He could hear light sobs from inside. Slowly opening the door, Leonard poked his head inside, but didn't see Sara. Then when he listened for the sobs again, he realized they were coming from their en suite bathroom.

"Sara?" Leonard called out.

"Go away asshole." Sara called back.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it as anything more than a joke." Leonard said as he made his way over to the bathroom door.

"You still said it." Sara sniffed out.

"I know, and if I had actually thought about what I was about to say before I said it, then I would have realized just how bad it would have been received." Leonard said as he rested one hand on the doorknob and his other hand and forehead on the door itself. "Please let me in." He added softly.

At first Leonard wasn't sure if Sara had even heard him. But the silence on the other side of the door, followed by the soft click of the door being unlocked proved otherwise. Quickly opening the door and taking in the sight of his distraught girlfriend had Leonard's heart nearly breaking. He had caused this. Sara was sitting on the tiled floor, her back against the tub, and her head hung. Kneeling down, Leonard placed on hand on Sara's knee before fully sitting down next to her and pulling her into him.

"I'm so sorry darling. You know that I use sarcasm as a first language. It's a force of habit. But I should have thought about what I was going to say. I know that a part of you feels responsible for your parents' divorce. I should have considered how you would have reacted to the comment and then bit my tongue." Leonard whispered into Sara's ear as he rubbed her arm.

"It's not just that." Sara said in a small voice.

"Talk to me." Leonard urged.

"What if that happens to us?" Sara asked.

"That won't happen." Leonard assured her.

"How do you know?" Sara asked.

"Because, if I ever was untrustworthy, or tried to leave you for extended periods of time, or whatever it was that first started to cause your parents to separate, I know that you would kick my ass. You won't let that happen to us. And I don't want that to happen to us." Leonard said.

"You're probably right." Sara muttered.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear what you said." Leonard said with a smirk.

"I'm not repeating that. If you didn't hear it, then that is your problem, not mine." Sara said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you ready to go rejoin our friends?" Leonard asked.

"In a few minutes. I want to enjoy this moment for a little bit longer." Sara replied.

"We could always take this moment to the bed." Leonard suggested.

"We could, but I don't want to right now. This moment is happening right here." Sara said as she linked her arm with his.

"Whatever you want Canary." Leonard muttered.

Despite what they were wanting, Sara and Leonard's moment didn't last much longer after that. Actually, it was Kendra bursting into their room, and spotting them sitting on the floor in the bathroom that broke their moment. More so when their friend came into the bathroom, grabbed both of their arms, and pulled them up with more strength then either of them realized she possessed and dragged them out of the room that broke their moment. It wasn't until Kendra had them half to the living room that both Sara and Leonard were able to get their arms loose from their friend's grasp, causing Kendra to stop walking and turn around.

"What's wrong?" Kendra asked.

"You mean other than that death that you just had on our arms?" Sara asked as she rubbed at her forearm, trying to soothe the growing red mark on it.

"Sorry. I'm just really excited about what Carter and I have to tell everyone that I didn't realize how strong of a hold I had on you both." Kendra said with an apologetic smile.

"Just tell us that you two have something to tell everyone next time." Leonard said as he rubbed his own forearm.

"Hopefully, there won't be a next time. At least not in this lifetime." Kendra said excitedly.

"This lifetime... do you mean that..." Sara started to ask but was cut off by a loud scream coming from the living room.

Sharing a look with each other, the trio ran into the living room to see what the commotion was. From the scene before them, no one had been hurt, and the scream had apparently come from Felicity, and upon seeing Ray down on one knee, Sara, Leonard and Kendra knew what was going on. Ray had gotten the final product on his personalized engagement ring for Felicity in, and he had asked her, again, to marry him. Felicity's hands were covering her mouth and she was nodding vigorously to Ray's proposal. And despite the fact that Sara was happy for her friends, she saw the look of hurt that flashed across Kendra's face briefly before Carter came over and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"It's okay Kendra." Carter whispered before placing a light kiss on her cheek.

"Um, Carter and I did ask for everyone to meet us here because we had something to tell you are." Kendra said, trying- and failing- to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Right, of course. What did you guys want to tell us?" Felicity asked, turning from Ray to Kendra and Carter.

"Kendra and I have decided to renew our commitment to each other, and we are getting married in a week from this Saturday." Carter said and the previous excitement that had surrounded Ray and Felicity's official engagement was silenced.

"Seriously guys? You had to choose to tell us that now?" Ray asked.

"Ray, relax. They did tell us that they had something to tell us before Kendra went to get Sara and Leonard. You can't be mad at them. If anything, you rained on their announcement." Felicity said quickly.

"So you're not happy that we're engaged." Ray stated.

"I didn't say that Ray." Felicity said with a sigh.

"You just said that _I_ rained on _their_ parade Felicity." Ray reiterated.

"Fine... _we_ rained on their parade, happy? Our friends told us that they had something important that they wanted to tell everyone, but because Sara and Leonard weren't here, Kendra went to get them. Even after they said that, you took the time to re-propose to me while Kendra was getting the last of your teammates so that everyone was here for hers and Carter's announcement. You don't get to be mad or upset with them for doing what they had gathered us all for in the first place." Felicity snapped.

"Excuse me." Ray said as he quickly left the room, brushing past Kendra and Carter without so much as a 'congratulations' in their direction.

"I'm sorry about that you guys. It really is great news that you two are getting married again... well, getting married in this lifetime." Felicity said, giving Kendra and Carter a small smile before she followed Ray's path out of the room.

"Wow... one couple decides on a wedding day, and two couples have already argued for the day, is that a record here?" Jax asked.

"Not even close kid." Leonard commented as he wrapped his arms around Sara's waist and pulled her against him. "I have a surprise for you later tonight Canary." He whispered in her ear.

"A surprise? What is it?" Sara asked as her face lit up and she half turned to look up at him.

"That would defeat the purpose of it being a surprise." Leonard commented, placing a kiss on her temple.

"Sara?" Kendra asked slowly, regret of breaking the couple's little bubble on her face.

"What's up Kendra?" Sara replied after eyeing Leonard carefully.

"Would you be my maid of honor?" Kendra asked.

"Oh my gosh, of course." Sara said, a very un-Sara like girly squeal escaping her lips as she lightly jumped up and down in Leonard's arms. "Wait... does that mean that Len is Carter's best man?" Sara asked as she looked between her boyfriend and Carter.

"If he's okay with that." Carter replied, eyeing the other man for his reaction.

"If Sara is going to be the maid of honor, then I have no problem being your best man Carter... just don't expect a bachelor party... you've lived way too many lives, and have been married to this woman a few times already, you are not a bachelor." Leonard said with a shrug.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The rest of the day was spent discussing little details here and there for the wedding. It was determined that Stein would officiate the ceremony and that it would take place on the roof of the house, which the team had turned into a garden escape, due to not having an actual backyard. As it turned out, neither Carter nor Kendra wanted to have a bachelor or bachelorette party, so all Leonard and Sara had to do was keep them calm, and hold the rings. After an hour of idle talking, Leonard intertwined his fingers with Sara's and gently led her out of the living room and to their room.

"Do I get my surprise now?" Sara asked as Leonard brought her over to sit on the end of the bed before going back to close and lock their bedroom door.

"Yes." Leonard said simply.

"Can you give me a hint?" Sara asked as she watched him closely.

"No." He replied.

"Len..." Sara said slowly, getting concerned.

"It's nothing bad darling, I promise you that." Leonard said as he came to kneel in front of her.

"Please tell me you aren't proposing." Sara said in a small voice.

"Well... um, I was going to..." Leonard said awkwardly as he stood back up.

"Len..." Sara said again.

"You don't want to marry me; I get it Sara." Leonard said, the pain that he tried so hard to hide clearly showing in his words and on his face.

"It's not that." Sara said quickly.

"Then what is it Sara? We've talked about our future together; we've talked about what we would name our future children. What, were you wanting to have three kids together and never get married? Never let the world know that you are in love with a former criminal? That you had children with a thief? Because I can't think of another reason for you to not want me to propose other than you don't want to marry me." Leonard said, his hands clenching at his sides, his right hand itching to grab the gun that wasn't attached to his leg holster.

"I want the day that we get engaged to be our own day. I don't want something else like what happened earlier to happen again." Sara explained.

"And it doesn't matter at all that I had been planning on proposing to you tonight without any prior knowledge of what our teammates' plans for the future were?" Leonard asked in a hard voice.

"Len... I'm sorry..." Sara said as her face fell realizing that she had really screwed this up for her boyfriend. "Can we have a do-over?" She asked hopefully.

"Sara... how can we have a do-over on something that didn't actually get to happen in the first place?" Leonard asked, his voice having softened a bit.

"By you getting back down on your knee and pretending that I didn't already stop you." Sara said with a small smile on her face.

"The moment's ruined Sara. I did everything by the book. I bought you a beautiful engagement ring, I asked for your father's permission to marry you, I even asked for his and your mom's advice on how to go about proposing. And the second I get you alone and I'm about to propose, you stop me because you care more about what our friends would think about us getting engaged on the same day that Ray and Felicity got engaged, and the same day that Carter and Kendra announced when they would be getting married. That really hurts, even coming from an Assassin." Leonard said before he walked out of the room, lightly closing the door behind him.

Sara didn't know what to do. She had just completely ruined Leonard's proposal, one that had been a legitimate proposal, and she hated herself because of it. She really did want to marry Leonard. If her sister's constant insistence that Sara leave Leonard couldn't sway her from him, why would he think she didn't want to marry him? Moving up to her side of the bed, Sara pulled her legs up to her chest and laid her forehead against her knees, her hair falling around her face to completely hide the tears that were silently falling from her eyes.

"You say that you want to marry me Lance, then prove it. Marry me, right here, right now." Leonard said, startling Sara out of her position.

"Excuse me?" Sara asked.

"You heard me. Get your little Canary ass over here and marry me. Stein said he would officiate, and I got Mick and Lisa to be witnesses." Leonard said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you serious? What happened to the sweet, romantic proposal that you had planned?" Sara asked.

"You shot that down before it even happened, remember? It just happened like, 5 minutes ago." Leonard pointed out before walking over to Sara and picking her up to throw her over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN SNART!" Sara screamed as she started hitting his back.

"Not until we get to the alter." Leonard commented.

"You're demented!" Sara exclaimed.

"And you love me anyway." Leonard said causing Sara to sigh.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, because you're right..." Sara said for the second time that day, but made sure Leonard heard this one correctly.

"Glad to actually hear it Canary." Leonard said and Sara could hear the smirk in his words.

"Am I too late?"

"Not at all Sir. You're just in time to walk your daughter down the makeshift aisle and let her marry a former criminal." Leonard replied as he pulled Sara down from his shoulder.

As soon as Sara's feet were firmly on the floor, she made to really, truly punch Leonard for throwing her over his shoulder, but he blocked the punch. Then she tried roundhouse kicking him, and he simply grabbed her leg and lightly tugging her forward so that she lost her balance.

"Come on Sara. I got your dad to come over for this so that he wouldn't miss your wedding. Will you please save your hitting and kicking me until later?" Leonard asked as the hand that was holding her leg ran up to her hip as his other hand went to her neck.

"Hi Daddy." Sara said quickly before turning back to glare at Leonard. "You threw me over your shoulder and carried me out of the room like I was a child Leonard." She stated.

"I know... but you weren't moving from your spot on the bed Sara, what else was I supposed to do? Carrying the bride, bridal style is for after the wedding." Leonard said.

"You could've just taken my hand." Sara pointed out.

"That didn't work out great for the last time I led you out of a room by the hand." Leonard commented.

"I'm sorry for that Leonard, I really am." Sara said.

"And I already told you to prove that you want to marry me." Leonard retorted.

"Seriously Leonard? You want me to prove that I love you and want to marry you? How about the fact that my sister, my own flesh and blood, has been telling me for months to kick you to the curb, and I have stood by your side the entire time?" Sara shot back.

"Simple defiance move." Leonard supplied.

"How about the fact that I didn't want to continue with Rip's stupid mission anymore because he was willing to put your life at risk more than he already had?" Sara questioned.

"An argument can be made that you felt that way about the whole team." Leonard replied.

"I introduced you to my father. A Police Captain, who could have easily arrested you on the spot, but didn't because he didn't want to push me away by arresting the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with? And mind you, you are the only person I have ever been with that I have actually wanted to introduce to my father as my boyfriend." Sara said.

"You father knows both of your last two significant others." Leonard pointed out.

"He knew Oliver because of Oliver's relationship with Laurel, and our two families being friends. And everyone in my life thought Nyssa was wanting to kill me when she showed up. I never wanted to reveal either of those relationships to my family, let alone my father in particular." Sara said.

"Yet you wanted to introduce me to him, why?" Leonard asked.

"Because, for some unknown reason, you are the guy that I can't picture my life without. You're the only one that I've ever seen a future with. You're the only one that I have ever felt like I can truly be my whole self with. You don't care what's happened in my past, you accept despite all of that. And that's all I've ever wanted in a life partner." Sara said with a sigh. He had been baiting her the entire time, and she fell for it.

"And feel the same way. As cheesy as it sounds, you complete me. Once I got into the robbery business, I always had a plan. I thought things through and always had a way out. With you, I don't want a way out. Despite your ability to hold your own when around myself and Mick, your overall goodness made me want to be better person. A person who was worthy to be with a girl like you. The walls of ice that I had built up around my heart were melted and broken down by your presence. You didn't demand that I change, you were willing to accept me, knowing that I'm considered to be a criminal. Your level of wit and intelligence matches mine, and you can hold your own in fight, but aren't necessarily afraid to ask for help when you need it. You survived a turn in the League of Assassins, where you were told that love is a weakness, and ended up falling in love with me when I didn't think that I was capable of being loved, or falling in love myself. You're stuck with Sara Lance, for better or for worse." Leonard said with a smile as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around Sara's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"We changed our fates." Sara said with a smile of her own.

"I guess you didn't really need me after all, but by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you can kiss your bride." Stein said with a shake of his head.

"Come here Assassin." Leonard growled as he stooped to press his lips to Sara's as she stood on her toes to meet him half way.

Once they pulled away, but only enough to rest their foreheads together so that they could get some oxygen, Leonard pulled the box out of his pocket that he hadn't gotten to pull out earlier and took the ring out of the slot. Pressing a kiss to Sara's forehead, Leonard took his wife's- that was going to take some getting used to- left hand in his and slipped the ring into place. And with a murmured promise to get wedding bands as soon as he had some more money to afford them, Leonard placed one more kiss on Sara's lips before turning her around to face her father.

"It's time for your father daughter dance." Leonard said with a smile and a small push.

"Shall we?" Quentin asked.

"We shall." Sara said with a smile as she stepped into her father's arms.


	18. Chapter 18: Short Lived Honeymoon

Life Without Love Is No Life Worth Living

Chapter 18: Short Lived Honeymoon

Leonard and Sara kept to themselves for the rest of the night, going back to their room after they had said goodbye to Quentin to pack for a short honeymoon. Half of the team (themselves included) knew that they wouldn't be there for the rest of the week, but the other half didn't. Stein and Mick, along with Lisa, had promised to stay mum about the whereabouts of the (unbeknownst to the rest of the team) newlyweds. Sara wasn't even sure where they were going, all that Leonard was telling her was that they would need their swimsuits.

"Honey, how do we have the money to go on a honeymoon if we don't have the money to have wedding rings?" Sara asked as she zipped her suitcase closed and turned to look Leonard.

"Wedding gift from your dad and Donna." Leonard replied. "They are covering all the costs for this trip. You deserve it Mrs. Snart." He added as he sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap.

"Hm... Mrs. Snart... I've always thought that I would hyphenate my last name since my dad only had daughters." Sara commented as Leonard started to place small kisses on her neck.

"Mrs. Lance-Snart sounds good too. Anything with "Mrs" in it in regards to you being my wife works for me." Leonard said in between kisses.

"Wife..." Sara trailed off with a mystified look on her face.

"You okay Canary?" Leonard asked softly.

"Yeah. It's going to take some time to get adjusted to you calling me your wife." Sara said as she turned to straddle his lap, draped her arms over his shoulders and pressed her lips to his in a deep and passionate kiss.

"Don't tempt me darling. If we do this now, we'll miss our flight." Leonard said pulling away slightly, despite his hands resting on Sara's sides with his thumbs rubbing her sides under her top.

"Flight?" Sara asked curiously. "Where exactly are we going for our honeymoon?" Sara asked.

"It's a surprise... one that you hopefully won't ruin again." Leonard said with a smirk.

"Not funny honey." Sara said with a pout.

"You're right, it's not funny, it's really not, but you know me. How am I to be the man that you fell in love with if I don't tease you?" Leonard asked.

"By not trying to surprise me with things." Sara said with a shrug.

"You'll like this surprise." Leonard promised.

"I'm going to trust you. Whether I should or not is a different conversation entirely." Sara said as she started to get off of Leonard's lap.

"I would hope that you know that you should trust me. You just agreed to spend the rest of your life with me." Leonard said as he pulled her back down onto his lap.

"I did... and I do, but didn't you say that we had to get going or else we would miss our flight?" Sara asked.

"Kiss me first." Leonard said.

"I just did... and you said not to tempt you." Sara said but leaned in anyway.

It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen. They had gotten word from Caitlin the day before that their respective stab wounds were now healed to the point where physical activity was possible, and they weren't going to take advantage of an opportunity. Their flight be damned. Leonard had one arm wrapped securely around Sara's waist while his other hand came up to the base of her neck and held her securely in place before flipping them over onto the bed. Sara had both of her hands on Leonard's shoulders and let out a small half gasp/half moan when Leonard flipped them over, and then her hands started to roam. It had been too long since they had been able to be this intimate and they both felt the other's need to be close through their kisses and their movements.

"I don't want our first time as husband and wife to be in the house we share with our teammates." Sara breathed out as Leonard moved to place kisses along her neck again.

"Now who's being unreasonable?" Leonard asked with a raised eyebrow. "But I guess you're right. Someone might come looking for us and might find out. Let's get out of here." He said with a sigh and one last kiss before standing up and offering her his hands to help her up.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

The newlyweds had managed to make it from their room down to the garage without running into anyone on the team who didn't already know that they had just gotten married. Mick had been exiting his and Lisa's room at the same time as Leonard and Sara had been leaving theirs and muttered that he would cover them if need be, as if any of their other teammates would attack them if they were seen. Stein was waiting for them in the garage to take them to the airport. Before they even got into the car, Sara couldn't resist the urge to hug the older man in thanks for everything he had done for them in the last hour, her veiled warnings of being able to kill people slowly, over days, from back at the beginning of the 1959 mission forgiven. The drive to the airport ended up being a chatty one for Stein's part.

"So, where are you two going for the honeymoon?" Stein asked.

"Len won't tell me. Says it's a surprise." Sara said with another pout.

"Is that really necessary Leonard?" Stein asked.

"Completely. I'm not even giving her any hints. She did turn down my first attempt at a proposal earlier this evening. Before I had even got a word in." Leonard said but had his arm around Sara's shoulders and was holding her close.

"It has been a whirlwind day filled with romance for our team." Stein commented.

"You siding with my assassin of a wife for any particular reason Professor?" Leonard asked, locking eyes with Stein in the rearview mirror.

"I'm helped you get her to marry you, didn't I? Not that you really needed help. But I am merely trying to even the field." Stein said with a smile.

Before Sara or Leonard could say anything else, Sara's phone started ringing. Checking the caller ID, Sara declined the call and turned her phone off. She was embarking on her honeymoon and her first night as Leonard's wife, she didn't need to get into any verbal fights that could burst her happiness bubble right now. If Laurel wanted to talk to her, she could wait until the newlyweds were back from their honeymoon.

"Who was that?" Leonard asked.

"Laurel. She can wait until we get back. This week is just about us." Sara said before pressing a kiss to Leonard's lips which he eagerly deepened.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're here." Stein said after clearing his throat to get them to break apart.

"Thank you Professor. Our phones will be off this week, but if it's an absolute emergency, we will have our comms with us." Leonard said as Sara hid her face from Stein's amused look.

"Of course. You two enjoy yourselves this week." Stein said as he got out of the car and helped them with their bags.

Sara ended up giving Stein another hug before they boarded when ended up being Palmer Tech's private jet. She was going to have to ask her father and Donna how they managed to swing getting Felicity and Ray to agree to let Sara and Leonard use the jet without letting their friends know about the fact that the latter couple was now married. But for now, she was going to enjoy this. A week away from all things Star City, alone with her husband. Once they had boarded, they noticed that there were only two seats other than the pilots' chairs in the cockpit. Sara made to sit down in one while Leonard sat in the other one, but that was quickly remedied by Leonard when he pulled his wife onto his lap again.

"We are married. Any time we have a chance to sit like this, I'm taking it. I quite enjoy having you in my lap." Leonard offered as an explanation to Sara's inquisitive look.

"Honey... have you ever been a member of the Mile High Club?" Sara asked with a mysterious glint in her eye.

"No... because this is the first time I've been in an actual plane. And no, I don't count the Waverider." Leonard replied.

"Do you want to be?" Sara offered.

"This club you speak of... have you inducted any of its other members?" Leonard asked.

"You would be my first." Sara replied.

"Maybe on the way home." Leonard said. "For now, I just want to enjoy this plane ride with my wife in my lap, on the way to our honeymoon." He added placing a light kiss on her cheek.

"You really are a romantic at heart Len." Sara said with a yawn before resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Only when it comes to you Sara." Leonard muttered before closing his eyes himself and resting his head on top of Sara's.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Upon returning to the house, Stein was greeted by Jax and Mick. Mick looked hopefully that everything had gone as planned getting Len and Sara to the airport, where as Jax looked suspicious as to why Stein had gone out late was just now returning. The irony was not lost on Jax. Giving a nod to Mick to answer the pyro's unvoiced question, Stein turned his attention to Jax.

"Is everything okay Jefferson?" Stein asked.

"You tell me Gray. Where were you?" Jax asked.

"I went for a drive. The mood here this afternoon might have been full of romance and joyful excitement, my day did start by me finding out that my wife is filing for divorce." Stein replied.

"But I didn't sense anything." Jax commented.

"Putting aside how I was feeling, and going for a drive to clear my head some, I realized that if getting a divorce is ultimately best for Clarissa, then I'm not going to fight it. I still love her, but in doing so, I have to let her go. I have put my feelings and wants before hers too many times in the years since we have been together that it's time that I start putting her first. She wants a divorce, then I'll willingly sign the paperwork." Stein said with a sad smile. "Now, today has been a whirlwind, so if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I'll be heading off to bed." He added before walking away.

"I'm not sure if I believe him." Jax said as he folded his arms across his chest and casting a side glance at Mick.

"What else would he have been doing kid?" Mick asked.

"I don't know. I just don't think that that was all he was doing is all." Jax said with a shrug before walking off.

"Trust your gut kid; that isn't all he was doing." Mick muttered to himself before going off to let Lisa know that her brother and new sister-in-law were officially on their honeymoon.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

By the time that the jet was descending, both Sara and Leonard had fallen into a deep sleep. Sara had somehow managed to have a completely dream- and nightmare-less sleep, whereas Leonard had a dream about their future family. Whenever Sara had had a dream about their family, she would only tell him that they had a daughter, a son and then a baby girl, but hadn't told him much else. Granted, after her first dream of their family, she had told him that they were living in a house that had a white picket fence, but she had never gone into detail about what their children looked like. But after having a dream about their children himself, Leonard hoped that they all had Sara's looks.

It wasn't until the jet touched down at their destination that either of them woke up. Leonard opened his eyes first and just took a moment to gaze upon his sleeping wife. How she had fallen in love with him, Leonard wasn't sure, but her beauty was just one of the things that he had fallen in love about her. That and her strength. Hating having to wake her up when she looked so peaceful, but knowing that he had to, Leonard leaned in and pressed a kiss to Sara's lips. A kiss that she deepened after a moment as she woke up. When they pulled apart, Sara looked out the window to see where they were.

"Hawaii?" Sara asked.

"Bahamas actually." Leonard said. "We're going to be staying at the Atlantis Resort." He added with a smile as Sara's face lit up with excitement.

"I've always wanted to go to the Bahamas." Sara said before pressing a quick kiss to Leonard's lips before looking out the window again.

"I know. I talked to your dad." Leonard commented.

"You and my dad have gotten awfully chummy over the past couple months since we left the mission behind." Sara said with a squint of her eyes at her husband.

"Isn't that what you wanted? For your father to like me, and accept me as your then boyfriend and now husband?" Leonard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course that's what I wanted. I just didn't think it would happen right away." Sara admitted.

"He talked to Barry." Leonard explained.

"Mr. and Mrs. Snart, we've safely landed and you are able to depart from the jet." The Captain said with a smile. "And enjoy your honeymoon." He added as he opened the exit and let them out.

Upon exiting, Sara and Leonard were greeted with a limo. Turning to her husband, Sara gave him a surprised look. Leonard simply shrugged. He hadn't planned on there being a limo for them. It must have been an added touch from Quentin and Donna. He would have to remember to thank them for it once he and Sara returned home. As the Captain put their luggage into the trunk of the limo, Sara and Leonard headed towards the back door, only to stop short when the driver got out. Needless to say, neither of them were happy with they saw step out.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Leonard snapped as he stepped in front of Sara.

"I came to offer my congratulations on your marriage." Rip replied.

"We don't need, or want, your congratulations." Leonard snarled.

"Do you agree with him Sara?" Rip asked.

"Absolutely." Sara said as she took Leonard's hand in hers and intertwined their fingers together.

"So I can assume that neither of you are interested in rejoining me?" Rip asked.

"No, we aren't. And no on the team will be interested either, so don't even bother trying to ask them." Sara said.

"I could just do the same thing to you that I did last time." Rip suggested.

"You wouldn't dare." Leonard said with a glare.

"Oh, how little you actually know about me Mr. Snart." Rip taunted.

"You put our lives at risk too many times Hunter. We aren't going anywhere with you." Leonard snapped.

"I was trying to save my family Mr. Snart." Rip reminded him.

"And you don't care who you sacrifice along the way." Leonard said with an even more intense glare.

"That is merely your perception on the matter." Rip said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You admitted to us all that the reason you chose the 8 of us was because we made little to no effect to the timeline if something happened to us on the mission. So in other words, you don't fucking care who you sacrifice along the way." Sara said, her voice dripping with venom as her blood lust started to rise.

Leonard sensed the change in his wife. Giving her hand a squeeze to let her know that he was there, Leonard shot another glare at Rip before half turning to Sara. He pulled her into him and kissed the top of her head. He had elected to not bring his cold gun on their honeymoon, and he had made sure she didn't have her knives with her, or her bo staff either. But that meant that if he couldn't get her to calm down with merely his presence, he wouldn't have anything to use against her. But he also knew that if Rip persisted this little reunion, that Sara wouldn't need her knives or bo staff to take down their former captain.

"Here is not the place to lose control darling. He's not worth getting detained for. Especially on our wedding night. And I don't have my gun with me to put you on ice if you can't control the blood lust." Leonard whispered into Sara's ear.

"I was so happy about the prospect of our honeymoon, and then he shows up and ruins it." Sara whispered back, glaring at Rip around Leonard's body.

"Try not to kill him for a moment." Leonard said with a kiss to her forehead. "Excuse, do you think you would be able to take us to the hotel, this driver won't be able to do so." He asked the Captain from the jet.

"Of course, anything for Dr. Palmer's brother and sister-in-law." The Captain said before he walked over to Rip, pushed him away from the limo and took the keys. "Mr. Snart, Mrs. Snart, if you wouldn't mind getting into the back of the car, I can get you to the hotel." He added.

Sara didn't need to be told twice. Opening the back door to the car, she climbed in, followed shortly by Leonard. As soon as they were both inside, and the door had been closed, the Captain took off. Sara was shaking as she tried to keep a lid on her anger and blood lust, and Leonard pulled her closer. Rubbing her lower back with one hand, and holding her hands in his other, he whispered assurances that everything would be alright in Sara's ear. He was not going to allow Rip's unwanted appearance deter them from having a nice, relaxing and romantic time on their honeymoon. They hadn't come all this way from the people that Rip had first recruited just for his reappearance to set them back. He loved Sara with his whole heart, and wanted her to enjoy herself.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Kendra burst into the kitchen looking frantic. Her eyes landed on each person in the room briefly before finally landing on Carter. There was something wrong, but she couldn't find her voice to let the others know. It wasn't until Carter had coached her through taking deep breaths and to calm down some that Kendra realized that the only people on the team who weren't in the kitchen were Mick and Stein. Well, and Lisa, but she was only an honorary member of the team.

"What's wrong Kendra?" Ray asked.

"Sara and Len are missing." Kendra finally said.

"Are you sure? They could just be in their room or something." Jax commented.

"I just checked their room. And I checked the training room, and every other room in the house that they would possibly be in. They aren't here." Kendra said.

"It's Sara and Len, I'm sure they're fine." Carter said.

"Carter... Savage's men have abducted Sara and Len before. And tortured them. Almost bringing the death count for this team's members to 3. Just because they are capable of handling themselves doesn't mean that they're fine." Kendra argued.

"Did you ask Mick and Lisa?" Ray asked.

"I was going to, but they are doing something in their room that I was not about to interrupt." Kendra replied.

"Well, we shouldn't worry, at least not yet. We can ask Mick, Lisa and the Professor in the morning. And if none of them know where Sara and Len are, then we'll figure something out and go from there." Carter said reassuringly.

 **LOT – LWLINLWL – LOT**

Leonard's plan to make sure Sara stayed relaxed and in control worked so well that Leonard was surprised by himself. By the time that they had reached the resort, the whole encounter with Rip at the airport was long since forgotten. She was back to being happy and excited at the prospect of being with the man she loved in the place that she had wanted to go her entire life. No thoughts of being abducted by their former captain lingered in her head, or his for that matter. They were there for their honeymoon and to start their lives together as husband and wife. And while Leonard and Sara were both looking forward to the whole week, they were really looking forward to their wedding night.

Apparently, being the soon-to-be sister and brother-in-law to Dr. Raymond Palmer had it perks. The Atlantis Resort, as it turned out, was one of Ray's favorite vacation spots from when he was first starting off his company, and as soon as Leonard and Sara checked in to their regular room, the lady working the front desk informed them that they had been upgraded to the honeymoon suite, and that everything was covered by Palmer Technologies. So despite the fact that neither Ray nor Felicity knew that Leonard and Sara were on their honeymoon, and had used the company's jet to get them here (apparently under the guise that it was Quentin and Donna who were doing all this), Ray and his company were actually the ones paying for the newlyweds to enjoy their week away from everything else.

After that, the couple headed up to their room, eager to get on with wedding night traditions. However, upon reaching their room, they were met, yet again, by Rip. This time, their former captain didn't bother with trying to give the former crook and assassin a speech. He aimed his stun gun at them, and before either of them could react, he shot his gun, knocking both of them out. Pulling them into the room, Rip placed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door and quickly closed it behind them before locking the door. Strolling past their unconscious bodies, Rip threw open the balcony doors and requested that Gideon bring the Waverider up to his location, with the cargo hold door lined up to the balcony ledge.

It wasn't difficult for Rip to get the couple onto the ship. It was more difficult to get them from the cargo hold to the bridge, and get them strapped into their seats. Of course he wasn't stupid enough to sit them next to each other, so he set them across from each other before taking his spot in the captain's seat and instructing Gideon to take them to the Temporal Vortex. Once the time ship was in the vortex, Rip turned his chair around and watched and waited for his passengers to wake up. That didn't take long though, but it was Leonard who started to wake up first, not Sara, which was slightly disappointing for Rip.

"WHAT THE HELL HUNTER!?" Leonard yelled, which startled Sara awake.

"What's going on!?" Sara yelled as he frantic eyes found Leonard's hard gaze.

"It seemed that trying to persuade you to rejoin me would be futile, so I had to do the only thing that I could to get you both here." Rip explained, eyes trained solely on Sara.

"STOP STARING AT MY WIFE!" Leonard snapped, getting Rip to turn his attention to him instead.

"You're lucky Snart, you got the girl. The girl that should have been mine." Rip said.

"Like hell I would have been yours. You never had a chance with me _Michael_." Sara said, her voice dripping with venom, and smirking gleefully when Rip cringed at the use of his real name.

"You forget Sara; I had seen the timeline before I recruited you lot. I saw that you were to be mine. But then you went and punched me, and the timeline changed." Rip said with a scowl.

"That's bullshit! If you were supposed to end up with Sara, her punching you when we found out that you had LIED to us, wouldn't have changed anything. And you wouldn't have constantly put her life in danger. You would have done everything that you could to make sure that you two ended up together." Leonard said with a snarl.

"Do you really think you know more about the timeline than I do Snart?" Rip challenged.

"I know enough." Leonard shot back.

As the argument between Leonard and Rip continued, Sara used to diversion to break free of the restraints that Rip had put her in. It didn't take her long, but as soon as she was free, she walked up behind Rip, grabbed him into a headlock and rendered him unconscious the old fashioned way. Once he was down, Sara hurried over to her husband and started working on undoing his restraints as well. The second Leonard was free he pulled Sara into a quick kiss before they took off running towards the jump ship. They needed to get back to the hotel to get their stuff before they went back home. The romance of their honeymoon completely shot.


End file.
